LEDGEND OF THE HEAVENLY KITSUNE: Lifestream Volume
by Commander Kitsune
Summary: Book 1: A Problem With ShinRa. Naruto's life is turned upside down as he and Gaara are chosen by Kyuubi and her group to fight people who wish to end their own worlds. The are then thrust into the world of Final Fantasy VII. I don't own the characters.
1. Chapter 1: A Startling Revelation

**LEDGEND OF THE HEAVENLY KITSUNE – The Lifestream Volume**

**Book 1: A Problem with Shin-Ra**

**Chapter 1 - A Startling Revelation**

**(Setting is in the first series after the Rescue Sasuke mission. Naruto successfully brings back Sasuke, but in taters.)**

To say that Naruto at that moment was sad would be the understatement of the year. He had felt lots of sadness in his relatively short life but this was on a whole new level. His mind was still replaying the events from the last 5 hours.

-Flashback-

As Naruto approached the village gates he saw Sakura, some villagers and a few shinobi at the gates. He was carrying Sasuke on his back and smiling of course, why wouldn't he be? Naruto finished his mission and he brought back the traitor. He was walking faster and was waiting for Sakura to cheer on him but what happened next was what Naruto was afraid of happening.

"What have you done to Sasuke-kun?" yelled none other than Sakura-chan. "You almost killed Sasuke-kun you monster! I can't believe you!"

"Ano, Sakura-chan…I kept my promise." Naruto tried to say but she just punched him in the face and grabbed that traitor in her arms looking with a worried face at him and throwing daggers at Naruto.

"Promise? This is how you keep your promises?" she yelled and then Naruto saw the villagers approaching.

"Look what he has done to the Uchiha boy!"

"He looks dead. That demon killed the last survivor!" yelled a man who began throwing rocks at Naruto. At his action, everyone started throwing things at him. Then, it happened. Sakura got up and started beating Naruto.

"You monster! Demon! Look at what you did." she yelled kicking him, at the same time ignoring his injuries including the Chidori wound that Kyuubi was barely able to heal.

"But…Sakura-chan…" Naruto tried to talk to her with tears in his eyes.

"Don't you call me Sakura-chan you monster!" she yelled again and continued hitting the blond.

Naruto somehow managed to get away from there. Using as much stealth as he could in his condition, he was able to slip passed the villagers and arrive at Ichiraku's; the only safe haven in public. Most of his wounds had been repaired by this time as he staggered through the flaps at the entrance. Ayame was at the front, cleaning the bench. Hearing someone she turned to greet the customer, only to see Naruto with dried blood on his face and more blood soaked into his clothes.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed. "What happened?" Naruto just shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. Ayame seemed to understand. She turned and called for her dad. Moments later he came rushing out of the back with some bandages.

The next few hours were a blur for him. He remembered being tended by Ayame and Teuchi carrying to the back of the store where there was a small bed. Then blackness.

When he got up a few hours later it was raining heavily outside. Looking around he saw that Teuchi had gone back to work and Ayame was busy serving customers. Getting up silently, he found out that he wasn't sore anymore. Unwinding the slightly bloodied bandages, he saw that his main wound from the Chidori was gone, only leaving a slight pink mark. Stretching quickly, Naruto picked up his ruined jacket and snuck out the back door, but not before he found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote his thanks.

Now outside, he henged into a villager and made his way to his house to clean up. After a quick shower and some instant ramen, he got dressed in clean clothes. Since his jacket had too much blood in it, he slid on one of his old shirts. A bit tight, but better than nothing, he walked out of his apartment door. Again he henged into a villager and, in the rain, started walking to a place he went, when he needed time to think. Eventually he reached the Hokage monument and settled himself on the 4th's head.

-End Flashback-

He was just wondering whether he should get away from the village because it seemed hopeless to change the minds of idiots set in their ways when he felt a tug inside him. He stopped and looked around him to see who had tugged him but seeing no-one he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. Then he felt the tug again; harder this time. The feeling was familiar to him but he couldn't remember where it had happened. Then the tug happened again and Naruto felt his conscious slipping away from him as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was in his own yellow sewage corridor. Then the realization washed over him. 'I wonder what the fur ball wants.' he thought. 'Well I might as well go and see him. Unless he just wants to yell and whine; like a big baby. Or maybe he'll just taunt me, saying how I'm so weak, or something like that,' he thought dejectedly.

He walked the path he had walked so many times before; twisting and turning through the maze before finally he was standing before the huge sealed gate. The tall bars that made the giant gate seemed to be made of plain iron. In the middle, where the thicker sides of the two massive gates met, there was no key hole, rather, it merely had a elongated piece of paper stuck to it, with the kanji for 'seal' scribed on the paper.

The first thing he noticed was the difference in the atmosphere. There was no overwhelming evil presence. Naruto didn't even feel threatened and that made him cautious. The next thing he noticed was that there was no huge fox behind the bars. Just blackness.

"Hello? Anybody home?" Naruto called out but was greeted with silence. "Anybody care?" he added, hoping to get a rise out of the fox. A presence melted out of the darkness and started walking toward the gate. At first he could only see the outline of a person. Then it came into the light and the sight left him so surprised that he jumped back and landed hard on his but.

A stunningly gorgeous woman walked up to the bars; her nine red tails with black tips waved behind her. Her face was perfect in every way that held no flaws. Her body was no less perfect as she reached the gate. The whites of her eyes pristine and clear of any blemish, while irises as green as fine polished emeralds encased silted pupils. The eyes looked down at Naruto _without _hatred or anger. Naruto was shocked in every sense of the word. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets. His body was paralyzed. He had even stopped breathing.

The two stared at each other for a minute or an hour until the woman broke the silence.

**"We need to talk. I need to tell you some things."**


	2. Chapter 2: Rearranging Beliefs

**Chapter 2 - Rearranging Beliefs**

"N, N, N, N, N, NANI??????!!!!!!!!!"

The Kyuubi looked at him and said **"Is it really that surprising that I'm a female?"**

The person she was talking to was currently opening and closing his mouth in shock.

_'WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!!!!' _Naruto thought screamed as his mouth wasn't working.

**"Oh and since we're in your subconscious I can hear what you're thinking." **stated the female fox.

After a couple of minuets Naruto calmed down enough to talk without yelling.

"What is going on?" Naruto questioned the busty female projection.

**"Well how bout you get us some chairs. We're going to be talking for a while."**

Naruto looked at the Kyuubi in confusion. "What do you mean?"

**"Well this is your mind so you should be able to summon up a chair by just thinking it." **the fox stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto decided to try it out and so he thought up two recliner chairs, one on each side and they appeared. Kyuubi sank into one of them and Naruto sat in the other one. Then suddenly Naruto got an idea. He sent the thought out and sure enough a big table appeared in front of him with 20 bowls of steaming raman on top. Kyuubi put a hand to her face as the blond idiot started wolfing down the contents of the first bowl. When he had finished the first one he asked a question.

"So you we're going to tell me something?"

**"Yes," **said Kyuubi turning into her serious mode. **"There is much to tell you. First of all, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And secondly, I am not of this world. Not even this universe."**

"How so?" Naruto asked, entering his third bowl.

**"Well you are aware of the Shinigami right?"**

Naruto nodded.

**"Well, there is not just one but hundreds of Shinigami who all live in the same place. And all Shinigami are able to see the future in bits and pieces. Are you with me so far?"**

Naruto nodded again.

**"Now each Shinigami controls their own universe and one Shinigami had a premonition. In this premonition he saw 4 people. One looked like he had only one black wing attached to his back and he welded a very long sword. The second was a beautiful woman in a long red coat. The third had silvery lavender hair that looked like a girl. And the fourth was a man with an open blue coat and blue hair who wielded a staff. They were destroying everything in their own worlds until there was nothing left. Now even though the Shinigami have control over the dead souls they can't interfere directly in the lives of the living. So the only way to interfere is indirectly. You still with me kit?"**

"I think so." the blond ninja said, currently drinking the broth of his seventh bowl.

**"OK. So then the Shinigami of that universe contacted the Bijuu Squad who helps in these kinds of situations. I'm the leader of the group. What we do is we enlist the aid of another strong mortal from another universe. This universe has an advantage because of your knowledge of chakra so we get our recruits mainly from here. So we sent our new guy for this. His names Shukaku. He was sent here 40 years ago but we never herd from him since. Now we don't get worried until they've been away for 15 years so when he didn't come back we started getting worried until Nibi said that she was a little late when she was a beginner. But when it got to 27 years I knew something was wrong so I came down here to see what was going on. Now when we first arrive we are in our natural form so when I appeared next to this city its only natural that they mistook me for a demon. I decided that this would be the best way I could find a worthy mortal to help us and also find Shukaku. Then when I finally found him, he sealed me inside of you. I tried contacting HQ to tell the others what had happened but it seemed that the seal was blocking the transmission. It was then I understood what had happened to Shukaku. He must of had a similar experience. And so I tried to find out if that person was still around but from the beatings on your birthday I found out he was dead from sealing me. But then, over the years I have watched you grow up and saw that you had the ability to out shine that person. So I waited until the time was right. And that time is now."**

By this time Naruto had finished his raman and was now digesting the information Kyuubi told him. He started thinking that if he didn't do this he would stay in this horrible village and even though he had friends, as soon as they knew of Kyuubi they would distance themselves from him. But if he did go, he would gain experience and be a better ninja that he was now. But if he never returned...

"Kyuubi? Will I be able to return back here to the same time right now if I went with you?"

**"Yes,"** the vixen replied, sensing this question. **"I will be able to return you to this time after all of this is finished. Don't worry. You'll still have all the experience from the journey."**

"OK, I'll do it." stated Naruto.

**"Great. Now I need you to get rid of the seal for me."**

"Hey, how do I know you're telling the truth?"

**"When have I ever lied to you."**

"Point taken."

**"Now if you please?"**

"OK," said Naruto and walked up to the gate and ripped the seal off.

The doors slowly opened and Kyuubi stepped out of the cage.

**"Ah its good to be out. Now we need to go to Zabuza's grave. OK?"**

"How come?" asked Naruto.

**"In the worlds we are going to go to, you'll need a good weapon. And I think that his sword is one of the finest weapons I've seen. But I need to ask him first."**

"Where? In heaven?"

**"Yes. Now I'm coming out OK?"**

"OK."

Suddenly Naruto felt that tugging sensation again and he was whisked back to the real world. He opened his eyes and saw a pair of deep emerald eyes looking into his.

"You know, you're actually quite cute did you know?"

"AHHHHHH!!!!!" yelled the blond as he reeled back and hit his head on the stone.

"Come on. We need to find Shukaku." said Kyuubi.

"But I thought we needed to go to Zabu..."

"Yes but I forgot about Shukaku. I know now where he is. He's in that boy with the red hair. What was his name again?"

"Gaara," Naruto grumbled as he touched the part where his head had collided with the stone.

"Yes, that's right." the kitsune exclaimed.

Naruto now had a good look at Kyuubi. Her hair was red with black tips like her tails which were now hidden so as not to cause a panic. He also saw that she had two cute fox ears that just vanished as she hid them too. She was dressed in a black with red trim kimono. The sun was setting behind her, creating a halo of light around her that made her beauty tug at his heart. He started blushing and quickly turned around so she wouldn't see.

"Well Gaara probably hasn't left yet so he should be at the Suna Ambassadors Office where Suna people stay while at the village."

"Ok, lets go then. I think I should Henge myself into the Hokage so we can get in." said Kyuubi.

"Good idea."

They walked down the steps and through the village to the north end of the city. They came across a large building with the words 'Suna Ambassadors Office' over the door.

"Here we are Hokage-sama." Naruto said as they passed through the door and went to the front desk.

"What room is the Suna group in?" asked Kyuubi.

"They are in room 105, Hokage-sama. But only the team captain is in." replied the receptionist.

"Thank you."

They climbed the stairs to room 105 and Naruto knocked.

"Who is it?" said a low voice.

"Its me Naruto." said the blond.

There was a faint noise of floorboards creaking before the door opened and the two saw a boy slightly higher than Naruto with red hair, light green, pupiless eyes and the kanji symbol for love printed on his forehead.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Its good to see you." said Gaara.

"You too, " replied Naruto.

Gaara noticed the second person, then looked at Naruto.

"Why is that person under a Henge?"

Kyuubi looked a little sheepish before answering. "Its necessary. Can we come in?"

Gaara looked wary but then he looked at Naruto and saw the serious look on his face.

"Ok, come on in."

When inside Kyuubi dropped the Henge, faced Gaara and prepared to tell her story again.


	3. Chapter 3: Change Of Plans

**Chapter 3: Change Of Plans**

"OK. Let me see if I have all this correct. This woman is Kyuubi and you let her out by ripping off the seal on the cage?"

They both nodded.

"And Kyuubi isn't actually a demon but part of an organization called the Bijuu Squad that helps Shinigami with keeping order in there universes."

They both nodded again.

"And this world is a hotbed for potential heroes to help with your problems."

They both nodded again.

"And they sent a newbie called Shukaku here to enlist one of our help. And its the same Shukaku that is inside me now?"

They both nodded again.

"Then what about at the Sound invasion when Naruto and me battled. Shukaku was released. Why didn't you do anything?"

"I was keeping a low profile until Naruto was ready for the information." said the humanoid fox.

"Ok. So what do you intend to do now?"

"I need to release Shukaku from imprisonment. Don't worry," she said looking at the horror on his face, "I promise he won't go on a rampage."

Gaara looked to Naruto to see if all this was true.

"Don't worry. I'll stake my like on it. She didn't possess me when I let her out."

Gaara still looked worried but nodded all the same.

"OK, time for me to work. Naruto and Gaara? If you want to tag along you can. Just hold my hand and I'll transport you're spirits to Gaara's seal. OK?"

Both boys nodded.

"Alright. Lets go."

Naruto felt that tug again and both he and Garra fell unconscious.

When he opened his eyes he was in a corridor like his own but it had a 2 inch thick layer of sand on the floor and instead of water dripping from the ceiling it had sand dribbling through the cracks.

Gaara looked around in wonder. "I've never been here before. Where is this place?"

Naruto grinned. "This is your subconscious. This is where you meet with Shukaku but since the seal is so crappy, his powers have been streaming through in a torrent instead of a trickle. I had to ask Kyuubi for massive amounts of chakra."

"Quiet you two and lets go."

"Yes ma'am," they both said.

The maze was as big as Naruto's so it was a while before they found the cage. It was just as big as Naruto's and the only differences in the room was the sand on the floor and the evil presence behind the cage.

Then two eyes appeared in the darkness. They looked at Gaara and said. "Why are you here?" in an angry voice.

"You can stop the act now," said Kyuubi and unveiled her fox tails and ears.

The eyes darted to who had spoken and they widened before saying in a surprised and hopeful voice, "Kyuubi-sama! Is that really you?"

The kitsune smiled. "Yes it is. I've come to get you out."

The eyes then disappeared only to reveal a young man that looked like he was in his 20's. His hair was long and spiky (imagine Jiraiya's hair) and was a sandy color. His eyes were a light brown and he had light brown raccoon ears peeking out from his hair. He also had one long tail that looked like it was covered in scales made of sand with a simple blue pattern on it.

Kyuubi glanced at Gaara and warned, "Gaara, you need to remove the seal yourself."

Gaara slowly nodded and walked to the cage, reached up and ripped off the seal. The gates slowly opened and Shukaku walked out and started stretching. But Kyuubi had other plans.

"Shukaku, report!"

"Yes ma'am. When I got here I started looking for a possible candidate. I searched for 10 years until I ran across some humans who then proceeded to seal me inside a kettle. It was some time before I was transferred to here inside this boy. I then acted on Order 23 and played the part of the demon, waiting until he was ready. Only recently did I deem the boy the right choice for this mission. End of report."

"Well done Shukaku. We were all worried about you so I came down here to find you and the human. But I ended up like you and was sealed inside him." she pointed to Naruto, "I believe he is also a great choice so why don't we take both of them along?"

Shukaku was looking Naruto up and down. "I believe this is the person that told my carrier that he should use his powers for protecting people rather than killing. Boy, I thank you."

Naruto started scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh it was nothing."

Shukaku nodded and then turned to Gaara. "Boy, I believe you and Naruto can help us with this little problem. So what do you say?"

Said boy was really confused. He wanted to go but had just got his life under better control. Shukaku seemed to sense this and offered, "If you want to after we finish we can take you back to this place and time if you want."

Gaara thought it was a great idea and decided to go with them. After all, he could gain new experience for his changed life.

"Ok, I agree."

"Great. Now for weapons. We already have a possible weapon for Naruto but what about Garra?" asked Kyuubi.

"What do you mean?" Garra inquired.

"Well as I explained to Naruto for the worlds we are going to you will need a good weapon. I just don't know what though. I guess we could stop over at the Heavenly Armory to look for something." the fox mused.

"That's a good idea," agreed Shukaku. "We also need to give them basic training in whatever weapon they choose." he added.

"Right," agreed Kyuubi.

"Well boys, we're going to come out ok?" warned the raccoon.

"We're ready." they both said in unison.

The tugging feeling came back and they both woke up to two faces looking at each of them.

"Ok, ready to go?" Shukaku asked.

They were about to say yes when Naruto thought of something.

"What about equipment?" he asked.

"Not to worry. Everything will be steeled at the entry point." assured Skukaku.

"Hang on a sec," Kyuubi asked before she reached into the pocket of her kimono and drew out what looked like a metal box until she flipped it open. It had buttons and numbers on the bottom half and a screen on the top half.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"This is a Spiritual Cell phone. You can use it to talk to the resident Shinigami and request things, or at least we can. Others just use it to communicate with the past dead souls. I just need to do two things." she explained.

She punched in a number and waited until something happened on the other side.

"Hello. This is Kyuubi no Kitsune reporting to HQ...yes...yes I found him...uh-huh...ok...no it seems that he also found one so we're enlisting both...ok...I understand...will do...we just need to do one more thing and then I'll activate the transporter...ok, see you then...bye." she hung up.

"Ok that's that done. Now to talk to Zabuza." she mumbled to herself before punching another number.

"Hello. This is Kyuubi no Kitsune, captain of the Bijuu Squad. I need to talk to the Shinigami please...yes I'll hold..."

A minute went past before:

"...Hello?...Ah Ken, good to hear you again...yes I have two enlisted now...no actually I need to talk to someone and I was wondering if you could put me through...Momochi Zabuza...ok thanks..."

Another minute went past.

"...Hello Haku, I was wondering if I could talk to Zabuza... no I'm not a hooker...no I'm not selling anything, I just need to...no I'm not a debt collector...can I just speak to him?...thank you..."

Yet another minute went past. This time she turned the speaker phone on.

"...Hello. Momochi Zabuza here."

"Hello Zabuza, this is Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"What? Weren't you sealed inside that brat?"

"Yes I was. But he has been chosen for a mission and I was wondering if he could use your sword."

"What happened to it?"

"Its marking your grave."

"Oh, who buried me?"

"Naruto and the others."

"Really? Well I could give my answer but would it be alright if I could talk to him?"

"Sure," she handed the phone to Naruto.

"Hello," said Naruto.

"Hey kid, how ya been since I left?"

"Not bad. Yourself?"

"I can't complain. I'm with Haku after all. Listen. I really appreciate it that you decided to bury me and mark my grave with my sword."

"No problems,"

"But I would rather it if you didn't use my sword. I feel as if, like myself, its fighting days are over. So I don't want you to use it, ok?"

"That's alright. I don't mind."

"That's good to here. Well I'll be going, so you take care ok?"

"I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye kid. Oh wait, Haku wants to talk to you..."

"...Hey Naruto."

"Hello Haku,"

"I here you're going to participate in a mission in the FF quadrant,"

A muffled voice yelled in the background, "WHAT!!! Why didn't you tell me!!!"

Haku's voice came back, "Hang on Naruto..." Haku placed her hand on the mike and yelled "Well maybe you should get off you're lazy ass and actually get the paper dam nit!" Haku uncovered the mike and said, "Sorry about that. Well I wish you luck. I here at the end they give you some cool gadgets as well as a week pass to the first 5 levels of Heaven to see your friends and family that have passed on. You could come and visit us. I know Zabuza-san would be happy. I certainly would. I'll see you later. Call anytime you want. See ya!" and then she hung up.

"Well, that was interesting," Naruto mused out loud, handing back the phone.

"Well now that that's sorted out, shall we go? since we're not stopping by to pick up the sword for Naruto." asked Kyuubi.

Naruto looked at Garra who nodded.

"Alright. Lets go."

"Ok. Shukaku. You take Gaara. I'll take Naruto. We'll meet at Gate No. 63. Ready?" asked the fox.

"Yes," replied the raccoon.

"On the count of 3...1...2...3!"

"Transport!!" they both said in unison.

The last thing Naruto saw was Gaara's face. He was smiling. And then they were gone.


	4. Chapter 4: New Looks And Cool Gadgets

Chapter 4: New Looks And Cool Gadgets

**Chapter 4: New Looks And Cool Gadgets**

They appeared in a place that was completely white. And everything had smooth curves for corners. It also looked very advanced. There were machines that weren't even made yet.

"Wow, this is cool, isn't it Gaara?" he turned to his friend but he wasn't beside him. "Gaara? Where are you?"

"Relax; he was just teleported to another area of the building. We said we would meet up at Gate 63 remember?" Kyuubi reassured.

"Oh. Ok" said Naruto as he remembered. Suddenly a ball of light whizzed in front of Naruto. He was so startled that he jumped backwards and landed on his butt. The floating ball stopped in front of Kyuubi and then spoke in a warm female voice.

"Due to unforeseeable events, the missions F-07, F-08, F-09 and F-10 have been suspended until further notice. Order issued 7 years, 185 days, 4 hours and 27 minutes ago." The ball then disappeared.

"What was that?" asked Naruto, getting up.

"That was a notice. But instead of using paper like you to send them, we use a program called a Memo Issuer or MI for short. When an order is issued, our AI sends out the info in a ball of light. You can choose to have the messages sent to you where ever you are, or when you arrive in Heaven. I chose the latter incase I was in a primitive area," explained Kyuubi as another ball whizzed over to her.

"Mission request from world IY-276 for Shukaku, ID no. 2739657. Request came in this morning at 9:37 am. Authorization from supervisor required. Proceed?" said the ball in the same voice.

"Yes," said Kyuubi clearly. The ball of light pulsed for a few moments before saying "Authorization received. Transferring order to Shukaku," before disappearing again.

"Well come on. Lets go." called Kyuubi who was already walking towards the exit, her nine red tails swaying as she walked.

"Hey wait up!"

* * *

"Come on boy," said Shukaku.

"Ok," answered Gaara wanting to meet up with Naruto as soon as possible. This place was a little unnerving for him.

As they headed for Gate 63 they passed some interesting people and things. Once a ball of light appeared in front of Shukaku. Gaara was a little surprised to hear a warm female's voice come from the ball.

"Mission request from world IY-276. Report to Deck 24 for debriefing, preparation and immediate transfer." The ball then disappeared.

"What's wrong?" asked Gaara.

"Oh another universe needs some help. Apparently this guy Naraku, a half demon, keeps on making a mess. No matter how hard InuYasha and Co try to obliterate him, he always comes back for more. He can't just stay dead. I have to get to Deck 24 but I'll take you to the gate first."

"Ok," replied Gaara; not really getting what he said.

* * *

"Ok, here we are. Gate 63. Now we just wait for the others." explained the fox.

They didn't have to wait long before Shukaku and Gaara came running round the corner.

"Kyuubi...sama...I...need ...to...go...help..."

"Yes I know; I also got the memo saying that you had to go. Don't worry. I'll take over now." assured Kyuubi.

"Thank...you..." panted the raccoon before running in the opposite direction.

"Ok guys. Into the transporter; it will take us to our HQ." ordered Kyuubi.

The boys obliged and walked into the transporter with Kyuubi. She took out her phone and pressed a number and the three of them vanished.

They arrived in a place that looked the same but sported some differences. There was a desk on the far side of the room with a girl sitting behind it. She had long, light blond hair and wore a simple white uniform.

"Welcome to the Bijuu Squad Office," the girl said before seeing Kyuubi and said "Oh, Kyuubi-sama, these must be the recruits. You'll be taking them to the Preparing Room then?"

"Yes, thank you Namine," Kyuubi answered.

A door opened on the left side of the desk and Kyuubi led the boys straight through.

The room on the other side was much different. While still the color was heavenly white, there was a long bench with loads of gadgets and appliances on top of it. There was several changing rooms on the right while on the left was rows and rows of drawers packed with more gadgets. There were two other people in the room. One was a very cute girl that looked about 19 who was wearing a black colored t-shirt that said 'I'm hot and I know it' and a pair of worn out jeans. She had long white hair and had two black cat's ears poking out of her hair. She also had two medium length cat's tail that was also black. At the sight of Kyuubi entering she squealed in a girly voice, "Kyuubi-sama's back! Yay!" and rushed towards her.

The other person looked like a real brain. He was tall and had a calculating look on his face. He had glasses on and was wearing casual clothes. A dark buttoned shirt with a white under shirt and black pants was what he wore. He also had two badger ears that were poking out of his short black hair with white streaks through it. The seven tails were the same color as his hair. When cat-girl calmed down he said, "Kyuubi-sama, it's good to see you again. Did you get the messages?"

"Yes I did. These are the ones."

"I'm glad there are two," Brain sighed. "While you were away the F-07 mission was re-classed from 4 to 5 stars while the other three stayed at 3 stars."

"Five stars?" exclaimed Kyuubi. "That hasn't happed since _that_ mission." Brain nodded gravely.

Cat-girl, obviously disliking the serious atmosphere said, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh sorry. I forgot. Naruto and Garra? This is Nibi no Neko," she pointed to the cat-girl. "And this is our information gatherer and strategist, Shichibi no Kaku." she pointed to brain.

"Just call me Kaku," the badger said.

"And you can call me Nibi," said the cat-girl.

"Well Nibi, Kaku? This is Naruto," She pointed at the blond who was currently giving off his million dollar smile. "And Gaara," she then pointed to the red head who nodded silently.

"Oh Gaara. You're a real cutie aren't you?" said Nibi who winked at Gaara.

Gaara blushed a little, causing Nibi to giggle at him.

"Nibi's been with us for a while now. She's one of the seniors here. Kaku is also Vice Capitan of the Bijuu Squad. He makes all the decisions while I'm on a mission or if something happens to make me unable to do the job," explained Kyuubi.

"So I guess I should brief you on this mission that you will be doing." said Kaku, gesturing to four chairs looking at a projection screen.

Gaara and Naruto sat on one side, while Kyuubi and Nibi sat on the other side. Kaku turned on the TV and started the mission brief.

"Ok. First I'll tell you about the world. The world that you'll be going to is a futuristic world. Not as advanced as us but well enough." The screen showed a vast city that looked like it was on top a plate. "This is the city of Midgar. The city is comprised of an elevated, circular plate supported by both a central pillar and a system of smaller columns. A network of maintenance platforms are also suspended beneath the plate. Commercial and residential complexes, as well as recreational facilities such as bars and theaters are located on the plate. The plate itself is divided into eight numbered sectors with each sector punctuated by two walls and a Mako reactor."

The picture changed to a place that looked very poor.

"Following the construction of the plate the land beneath was taken up by the poorer residents of Midgar and their ramshackle slum dwellings. Like the city above the slums are divided into the eight numbered sectors punctuated by walls and gates. Quality of life in the slums is often very low due to the upper plate trapping all the pollution of the slums underneath it whilst at the same time blocking out the sunlight. The slums as a whole are strewn with strange wreckage, and components of various dismembered mecha. The majority of the buildings there are made of collected scrap shaped into dwellings; few of the buildings exhibit any thorough architectural planning. There are, however, scattered buildings that are presumed to be left behind from before the plate's construction."

Then the picture changed to show a group of sinister looking people.

"The **Shinra Electric Power Company** or simply the Shinra Company is a powerful mega-corporation. Originally a small weapons development company, Shinra grew into a multi-conglomerate and de facto world government when it became responsible for developing mako. The leader of Shinra is **President Shinra** who is using Shinra's vast reserves of money to maintain control over the people. The Shinra Empire rules over Midgar and several key areas and towns."

The picture changed again to show a man with very long, silver hair and a 7.5 foot sword. Naruto whistled and said, "Now that's a sword."

"Yes and his name is Sephiroth. This is the man you need to help get rid of." explained Kaku.

The picture changed to another one. This time it showed two men. The first one had his black hair spiked back and carried a sword that was as big but more impressive than Zabuza's sword.

Kaku pointed to that man. "This is Zack Fair and the other one is Cloud Strife. Zack was born in the town of Gongaga, where he lived until he left to join Shinra's militant force SOLDIER. Years later, he went to Nibelheim to investigate the nearby Mako reactor which had been malfunctioning. However, during the investigation Sephiroth discovered the truth behind his origins and went on a rampage destroying the Nibelheim village. Zack eventually confronted Sephiroth in a duel only to be defeated easily. Following the battle both he and Cloud were used by Hojo, Shinra's lead scientist, as test specimens and injected alien cells into both of them. However Zack managed to escape after four years and carried the incapacitated Cloud with him to freedom. While on the run, Zack fights for both Cloud and himself for their freedom from ShinRa. Cloud Strife and Zack Fare are currently headed for Midgar. The alien cells inhabiting Cloud's body allowed his mind to construct a false persona, built around Zack's behavior, fighting style, and description of Sephiroth's destruction in Nibelheim. The cells' inherent ability to duplicate information is leading Cloud to believe that he had been the 1st Class SOLDIER in Nibelheim. You are not to correct him, just pose as mercenaries and stick with him. If you get separated, stick with his friends and he will eventually show up again. Do you understand?"

"Yes we do," the ninjas said in unison.

"Great. Now comes the fun part,"

"Now you have to adjust your profiles. All the tools here are to be used for that, ok?" Kyuubi explained.

Naruto started rubbing his hands together. He was looking forward to this.

"First," Kyuubi told the boys, "is the age modifier. We need to age you both to age 20. Or otherwise you're not going to be taken seriously. Can you go first Naruto?"

"Sure," replied the blond.

Kyuubi showed him to one of the changing rooms and told him to go inside and stay there until she said otherwise. Then she pressed a button on the other side of the room and a computer folded itself out of the wall. She punched in a couple of keys and said, "Are you ready?" to Naruto.

Naruto was excited to see himself as 20 so he said "Yes," and Kyuubi pressed a button to begin the process.

It was the weirdest feeling he had ever felt. It didn't hurt, but it was strange. It felt as if his body had turned to liquid and was reforming. He also noted that he was getting taller. His hair was growing longer and his face was getting more angler. Then it was over.

"Are you ok?" asked Kyuubi.

"Yeah I just need some clothes." he stated.

"There are some in a compartment in there."

Naruto started pulling out a drawer and sure enough, there was a pair of light pants and t-shirt. He slipped them on and walked out.

He walked to a mirror on the other side of the room and looked at himself. He had grown to 6 feet 3 inches. His muscle mass had not changed, so he looked a little thin. His hair was a little longer (think Yondaime Hokage's hair).

Kyuubi smiled, glad that the growth spurt had worked correctly. "Ok, now it's your turn Gaara."

Gaara nodded and walked into the room. The process repeated itself and Gaara walked out and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair had grown to about the same length as Naruto's was before the change. He was a little shorter than Naruto, reaching to 6 foot 1.

"Now to choose whether you want to be a Hanyo or have a bloodline limit."

"I'd like to be a kitsune hanyo," said Naruto after a couple of minuets thought. Since having the vixen out of his system, he had noticed a few changes. Most noticeable were his senses. His eyes reaction time had slowed. Hearing and smell were dulled significantly. His strength was still all there but his reflexes were sloppy. He decided that it would be better to have all this back to normal. Plus he thought having a tail would be kinda cool.

"I want to have a bloodline limit," said Gaara. For him, manipulating sand was something he enjoyed. When Shukaku left, he found that he couldn't feel the sand. He found out by experimenting while Naruto was busy talking to his friend on the strange device.

"Ok, Naruto? Can you go back into that room." the fox said, smiling at the fact that he chose to be part fox. Naruto complied and stood in the room waiting. She punched in the keys for the transformation. Naruto again felt the same feeling like when he was growing taller. He also felt his muscles grow bigger and his bone structure morph slightly, becoming stronger and more flexible. He then felt something shoot out just above his backside and heard a tearing sound as the object ripped through his pants. He felt his ears disappear as his hearing shut off. A few seconds after that he got a feeling that two new ears were growing out of the top of his head. Then all his senses rose in sensitivity. They continued to rebuild until they were about three times as good as what there were normally.

As Naruto was going through these extensive changes, Nibi was getting the details of the bloodline from Gaara. "Now what abilities do you wish to have with your new bloodline limit?" she asked.

"Do you have a bloodline that controls sand?" he asked.

"Sure do!" Nibi replied happily and went to get the sample.

Meanwhile Naruto's transformation was done and he stepped out sporting two new orange fox ears and an orange tail with a white tip. Kyuubi was trying to not think dirty thoughts while looking at the new Naruto in front of her. She had to shake her head a bit to get the pictures out of her mind.

"Wow, I look so cool," Naruto said to himself as he checked out his new look. He found out he could move the tail on his own and use it to pick up and handle things. He also discovered that he could send chakra through it extending the tail to twice the normal length. He tried to create a Rasengan with his tail and found he was able to do so easily. He ran his hand through his new appendage and was surprised at how soft the hair was. He couldn't find the right words to describe what it felt like.

Gaara was looking at him in slight wonder when Nibi came back and told him to swallow the two pills that she got. The change was instant and he started manipulating some sand in a tray that was in the corner. Gaara smiled slightly; glad to be able to use the sand once again. When both were satisfied Kyuubi moved on.

"Ok now take this," she handed two cups to the boys. The cups were filled with a blue liquid.

"What's this?" asked Naruto, using his new boosted sense of smell by sniffing it.

"That's a liquid to increase your chakra capacity to twice what it is now. It will help you on the mission," explained Nibi; the tips of her tails curling slightly as she watched Gaara.

They both looked at each other as it daring the other to go first. Naruto caved in first and swallowed it in one. He found out that it tasted like water with a flavor he hadn't tasted before but was delicious. (AN: Blue Powerade! Yum!) Naruto gave the thumbs up and Gaara followed suite.

"Alright. Now to give you some gadgets," said Kaku. He went to a drawer and took out two watches that looked quite normal.

"Here are your G-watches. They might look like ordinary watches but if you do this…" explained Kaku. He then pressed a button on the side of the watch. A small piece of metal unfolded itself from the watch and the end turned in a full circle, forming a flat disk. (If you're having trouble visualizing this, then remember the gadget in the movie "The One" that shows info on the next wormhole opening.)

"The screen shows you your stats, usage of chakra, stamina, time, and other features," finished Kaku.

"Cool," commented Naruto as he strapped his on. Pressing the button, the disk folded out. The info was then projected out onto the disk. It immediately told him he had 5000 HP and 7000 CP. "What does HP stand for?" he asked the badger.

"HP stands for hit-points, meaning if you get down to 0 HP, you pass out cold. CP stands for chakra points. When that gets down to 0, you'll pass out from chakra exhaustion."

"Ok, so I just have to worry about it not getting down to 0. Ok, sounds easy enough. What do you think about all this Gaara?"

"Easy," replied the red head.

"If you need to access a certain stat quickly, keep pressing the button on the opposite side until the info you want shows up." Kaku demonstrated. He then went back to the drawer and picked out two metal boxes, flipped one open and showed it to them. It was the same as Kyuubi's.

"These are Spiritual Cell Phones. They will help you get in touch with one another if you get separated as well as talk with others in the world and an emergency number to HQ. They also act as a GPS to show where you are in the world. In each phone there is a GPS beacon to help you find each other."

"Cool again," replied Naruto as he laid his on the bench.

"Now we give you 3 reusable summoning scrolls to pack things like food, water, items and other stuff." said Kyuubi.

"That's nice and all but we don't know how to seal stuff." noted Gaara.

"Not to worry. We'll take care of that last." reassured Nibi.

"Now for weapons. What weapon would you like Naruto?" asked Kyuubi.

"I'd like to use a sword that's the same length and width as Zabuza's sword but with a long curve at the end." explained the blond ninja.

"I think I know what you mean." said Kaku and started typing on the keyboard the details. After several seconds the sword appeared on the table. (It looks like a hybrid of InuYasha's sword when it's awakened and Cloud's Buster sword)

"Now that's a sword," Naruto said in approval. He was just about to grab it when Kyuubi stopped him.

"Wait until you're about to go," she said.

"Now your turn Gaara," said Kaku.

"I think I want one of those things that looks like three pipes attached to a handle." said Gaara, trying to describe something he saw on the way here.

"Oh, you mean a gun?" asked Nibi.

Gaara just shrugged.

"I think that's what he meant," suggested Kaku. He did some more typing and there appeared on the desk, next to Naruto's sword was a triple barreled shotgun. (Design is exactly the same as Vincent's Cerberus except that instead of dogs at the end of the barrels, it was a pattern of swirling sand and there is no pediment on the handle)

"Perfect," complemented Gaara.

"Now its time for you're training. Since we're a bit of a hurry for obvious reasons we're going to just give you the semi-advanced weapon training and the semi-advanced training of sealing for the scrolls just to name a few. Now just follow me into this room," she led the boys into another room. This room had several chairs surrounding a thick white pillar. Above each chair were steel helmets designed to tighten around any hype of head. Single, thick cables were attached to each helmet and connected to the pillar. A computer sat a few meters away from the setup.

"Can you sit down on the chairs and put the helmet on please?" asked Kyuubi. They both sat down and strapped on the contraption. "Now this will be a bit of a rush but I am going to write the information straight into your brains, ok?" They both gulped and nodded.

"Ok, uploading Stage 3 of training for Cleaver weapon into seat 1 and Stage 3 of training for triple barreled shotgun for seat 2. Now."

Kyuubi was right. It really was a rush. Five seconds of info surging straight into your brain. As soon as it was over they we're both panting hard.

"Holy shit man," Naruto panted.

"Yeah," Gaara agreed.

"Well we still got more to go so hang on tight," Kyuubi grinned.

The process was repeated for another 5 times for semi-advanced sealing, advanced physics for being less restrictive with gravity, knowledge of gil, advanced fighting style (meaning using your body as a weapon as well) and knowledge of operating all machines in the world that they were going to.

By the time they got to advanced physics, they were used to the rush. Another two minutes went past and they finished up.

They both got out of the chairs; their minds filtering through the new information.

"I feel stronger. What about you Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, I do," he replied.

"Now for some clothes. Each of you go into the changing rooms and select what you want from the terminal. The clothes will appear in the same place as last time, ok?"

"Yosh," said Naruto.

"No problems," assured Gaara.

They both went into the change rooms and started browsing. Naruto had never gone clothes shopping because the shop-keepers threw him out. So he settled on a long black sleeveless coat with the Uzumaki spiral in orange on the back. The shirt was black and so were his cargo pants. The pants had a total of 8 pockets so he wasn't short on storage space. The pants were designed for people with tails as there was a small slit at the back with Velcro along the edge so it could be forced apart quickly. He changed his shoes from the black ninja zori, to a more comfortable pair of heavy boots. (Think Cloud's boots in Advent Children). He selected a small but very powerful magnet and stuck it on the back of his coat for his sword. He also wore a necklace with a nine-tailed fox as the pediment.

Gaara's choice of boots we're the same as Naruto's and he also chose a long coat that was black but in sandy brown was the Suna village symbol on the back. He wore red cargo pants and a brown shirt. He added a black holster for his gun. He also, strangely enough, got a pediment with a two-tailed cat on it.

They both came out at the same time and seeing how familiar they looked people might mistake them for brothers.

"Nice outfit," smirked Naruto.

"Same to you," said Gaara with a hint of a smile on his face.

Kyuubi and Nibi were openly staring at the boys. Kyuubi was fixed on Naruto, Nibi on Gaara. Their tails had stopped swaying completely. When they turned to look at the woman they wondered what they were staring at.

"What? Do we look that bad," questioned Naruto.

"No, you look great." whispered Kyuubi.

"Huh?" asked Naruto.

"Never mind. Now we need to hop in your weapons. We help by adding strength, power and an attribute to the weapon by attaching ourselves to the weapon. We'll still be able to talk to each other but on a telepathic level. To bring us into the physical world just boost some chakra into the weapon, OK?"

"OK," both boys said.

Kyuubi placed a hand on Naruto's sword, closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before vanishing in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared the sword had a perfect picture of an elegant red nine-tailed female kitsune on both sides. The fox looked like she was about to strike with her front paws outstretched and her head lowered. Her tails were spread along the blade, all the way to the hilt, which had a flame pattern etched into it. While the blade itself was the colour of regular steel, the handle was wrapped in a red bandage like cloth.

Nibi did the same thing and the visual upgrade was a two-tailed cat modeled into the gun. The head was resting over the top barrel while the two tails were wrapped around the handle. While the colour of the shotgun was normal steel colour before the fusion, now the colour was gun metal black. The handle was a dark grey colour and it seemed to highlight the black tails. The ears of the cat's head were tipped in silver. The trigger was also silver coloured.

Kaku placed a bag of Gil in Naruto's hands. "That's 5000 gil. Spend it wisely. I've sealed and marked your summoning scrolls with food, potions and gear. The red tagged one is for food. The blue one is for potions and the yellow one is for other things ok?" he explained as they slung on their weapons. Naruto clipped his sword onto the magnet and Gaara holstered his gun.

'**Naruto. Naruto, can you hear me?'**

'Kyuubi. Is that you?'

'**Yeah. Looks like the link is working. Ask Kaku for some Tele Juice and then you drink half the contents and get Gaara to drink the other half.'**

'Ok'

"Hey Kaku. Kyuubi says we need some Tele Juice." He told Kaku.

"Oh that's right." exclaimed the badger. He went into a back room and reappeared with a test tube of purple liquid.

"Here you go," said Kaku.

Naruto drank half and told Gaara to drink the other half who obliged.

After he drunk the rest Naruto started counting upwards until Gaara turned around and said, "Why are you counting?"

'Gaara, I'm speaking to you in my mind. This juice allows the drinkers to talk to each other telepathically.'

_'Ok,' _Gaara thought.

"Now you two. I'm going to drop you at a certain point next to a road. The car with Cloud and Zack will pass you in roughly 5 minuets of you getting there. Now if anybody asks, just say that you have lost your memories and that all you can remember is that you are renegade Wutai battle specialists and are heading to Midgar to start up a mercenary business. Eventually you will have to reveal your real identities but use this cover story until you think you need to disclose the information to others. Ok?"

"No problem, Kaku," said Naruto as he grabbed his SCP from the table, Gaara doing the same thing. They both put the phones into the left coat pocket just incase the phone rings in a middle of a fight and you're right hand is occupied.

"Ok. Follow me." said Kaku.

The boys followed Kaku until he stopped at a teleporter.

"Ok, get in." and watched as the two boys got in the transporter.

"Now remember. If you get into any sort of strife you can't handle, my phone number is in the phonebook on the phone. It will come straight to me and I'll be able to give you advice. Also, since this mission as been upgraded to 5 stars, the most difficult of missions, I will give you access to an X-35 fighter jet. Kyuubi will explain later on what that means. Now, good luck."

And he pressed the button on the side and the two boys vanished.

"I hope those boys can handle it," Kaku wondered out loud.


	5. Chapter 5: A Short Friendship and A Dama

**Chapter 5: A Short Friendship and A Damaged Cloud**

When Naruto opened his eyes he found that he was in the middle of an arid wasteland. The ground was hard and dry with bits and pieces of plants that had long ago died from lack of rain. There were also small pillars of rocks scattered around the place.

"Well, it seems we got here all right Gaara." He turned to his friend.

"Yes," replied Gaara.

"How long did Kaku say the truck was coming?"

"5 minuets," he answered flatly.

"Well we might as well inspect out stuff," said Naruto.

"Right,"

They started going through their stuff. Phone? Check. Watches? Check. Scrolls? Triple check. Weapons? Check.

"I'd better ring up Kaku to say that we got here fine," said Naruto as he took out his phone. He pressed a couple of buttons and put the phone to his ear.

"(dial tone)...Hello?"

"Hi, its me, Naruto. Just saying that we arrived safe."

"Good. I'm glad. Has the truck arrived yet?"

"Not yet but we should see it soon."

"Ok. Once again, good luck."

"Thank you, Kaku." answered Naruto and hung up.

"Naruto. The truck is coming." observed Gaara. Naruto looked up and sure enough there was a vehicle weaving around the stone pillars.

Naruto nodded and hid his tails and ears.

They waited until the truck was a little closer and then started waving. It slowed down and stopped beside them.

"Where you two headed?" asked the old man who was driving.

"We're headed for Midgar," replied Naruto.

"Well I still have some space in the back. You wanna lift? I picked up two others who are also headed in that direction."

"Sure. We'd love that." thanked Naruto.

"Hey pops. How come we've stopped?" questioned a man who peeked over the top.

"These two are headed in the same direction as we are so I offered them a lift. You don't mind do you?" explained the driver.

"Not at all. We'd love the company," agreed the spiky black haired man.

_**'That must be Zack,' **said Kyuubi._

_'You're right,' agreed Naruto._

_'Then the one in the back must be...' theorized Gaara._

_**'Cloud,' **__finished Nibi._

"Well get in guys," said Zack, gesturing behind him.

Naruto and Gaara walked around to the back and climbed in. Naruto sat next to Cloud while Gaara sat on the opposite side.

"We're in!" Naruto called to the old man.

"Ok," answered the driver and the truck started moving again. The old man turned on the radio and started listening to a slow beat of two guitars and drums.

"So, where you from?" asked Zack.

"Well we have lost our memories but we've remembered a few things. We're both renegade elite soldiers from Wutai. We're now mercenaries doing anything for a good meal and a soft bed." answered Naruto. "We decided to go to Midgar and create a mercenary business to build up a bit of cash."

"What about you guys?" asked Gaara.

"Well I'm from Gongaga and I joined Shinra's elite force known as SOLDIER. This guy here is called Cloud Strife and he was my subordinate. He's currently very week because we've been an experiment for the last four years. We just escaped and have been on the run ever since. We had the same idea that you have and are on our way to Midgar. By the way," Zack added as he noticed Naruto's weapon, "That's a nice sword. Mind if I take a look?" he asked.

"Sure," said Naruto and he unclipped the cleaver and passed it to him.

"Wow," breathed Zack as he got a good look at the sword. "This is an amazing sword. Are you any good with it?" he asked.

"Well I haven't practiced in a while but I'm confident that I'm fairly good." explained the ninja.

Zack handed the weapon back and asked "Would it be alright if we join you guys in this mercenary business?"

"Sure," smiled Naruto, "we were going to ask you the same thing."

"Hey Cloud. Is this alright with you?" asked Zack but Cloud remained silent. He sighed. "He hasn't spoken since we escaped together. I'm really worried that he won't be able to speak again"

"By the way, since we can't remember serten things would you fill us in?" asked Gaara.

"Sure. Do you know about Materia?"

The shinobi shook their heads, indicating no.

"Ok. I'll explain."

* * *

Meanwhile in a chopper flying away from Midgar

Reno was currently thinking of the targets. He was trying to decipher his thoughts on the two they were after. Sure they were deserters but he didn't blame them. Who would stick with Shinra after being experimented on for four years by a scientist who ran on several liters of crazy juice a day. Even he though he was disgusting and he could take quite a bit of shit.

Rude on the other hand was just thinking on what he would be eating after this mission. He had pulled in an all nighter tracking these guys and frankly, he wasn't the slightest bit interested in them.

The other members of the Turks as well as Tseng were busy thinking on what was coming.

* * *

Back at the truck

"You think you got it?" asked Zack.

"Yeah," replied Naruto as he hid the faint outlines of circles that were now being crafted on the sword thanks to Kyuubi. Gaara had tucked his coat around his gun as the same thing was happening to it. (I'm choosing the Advent Children version of equipping material)

Everyone aside from Cloud had agreed that the first thing after getting a place to stay was to visit a material shop and stock up.

* * *

500 meters away on a rocky outcrop were two Shinra snipers. The first one who was the younger picked up a radio and reported in, "This is Sniper Team 7. The targets have passed point 12. They are about to enter our firing range." and cut the transmition.

The older and a rank higher one said, "All right, lets do it."

"But, we were told by the Turks to wait for their arrival."

"There's no need to let them handle this. Just fire it."

* * *

Zack got to his feet and leaned over the top of the truck. "Hey pops, we're not there yet? This piece of junk..." Zack trailed of as he caught a flash of light ahead of them. He instinctively yelled out "Take cover!"

Naruto noticed it too and used his sword to cover him. He pulled Gaara to the floor, as Zack shielded Cloud. A millisecond later a gunshot rang out through the air.

The bullet hit Zack in the back and he coughed up blood, sending it splattering over Cloud's face. Cloud slowly looked up at Zack's face.

"Cloud, get out of here," he gurgled before collapsing.

The driver was shit scared so he stopped straight away and curled up in a ball. Naruto leaped out and started racing to the spot where the snipers were, pumping chakra to his legs and feet to go faster. He sped up the side of the cliff, his tails out in full glory. He slammed the soldiers into the ground with tremendous force, killing them instantly.

Gaara was busy checking to see if Zack was still alive but he had no such luck. Cloud, just realizing that his best friend was dead, gasped and then let out a scream of a wounded animal. Naruto heard this and headed back.

When he got back Cloud was moaning painfully and mumbling incoherently. Naruto walked around to check the old man and assured him that the danged had passed and asked him it he could still drive to Midgar. He said he could and started up the engine as Naruto got into the back.

Two hours later they saw the massive city and started to pass a outcrop overlooking Midgar when Naruto told the man to stop.

Naruto and Gaara got out and carried Zack to the outcrop. When there, Gaara used his bloodline to make a suitable grave. They laid the body into the ground and covered it with the overturned soil and then went back to the truck. The vehicle then proceeded to the Sector 7 entrance.


	6. Chapter 6: AVALANCHE's Decision

Chapter 6 – AVALANCHE's Decision

**Chapter 6 – AVALANCHE's Decision**

**At Sector 7 Train Station**

"Well this is where I'll drop you off ok?" said the old man.

"Yeah, thanks." replied Naruto gratefully.

He and Gaara helped Cloud of the back and sat him on the steps.

The truck rolled off round the corner as Gaara sat on one side of Cloud and Naruto sat on the other side. Naruto fished out his food scroll and summoned a bag with several sandwages in it. He passed two to Gaara and proceeded to feed Cloud since he hadn't stopped muttering and moaning yet. Cloud took a couple of bites and then he calmed down a bit.

"Now we got to find a place to stay," said Gaara.

"I know but where?" Naruto looked around him but found no-one around.

"Well we might as well stay here until Cloud gets better." Naruto stated.

"Did you say Cloud?" a voice said in front of them.

Naruto and Gaara looked up to see a woman in front of them. She was fairly young, perhaps a year younger than Cloud was, with long brown hair and dressed in a smart T-shirt and a short black skirt – almost quite delicate looking. She had brown eyes and a kind smile.

"Yeah. Do you know him?" asked Naruto.

"Yes I do. Cloud? Is that you?" she asked the spiky blond.

"Cloud?" he mumbled, uttering the first word since they joined him.

"Yeah, are you Cloud Strife?"

"Cloud Strife...yes...I am." he answered then suddenly he should up.

"Oh Cloud, its good to see you," said the woman. "Do you remember me, Tifa?"

Cloud looked like he was thinking. "I remember the name but...,"

"Its alright. I'm not surprised that you don't recognize me. It has been 6 years since we last met, by the way," she motioned to the shinobi, "Are these your friends?"

Cloud looked at them and nodded. "Yes, I just met them a little while ago and we were going to set up a mercenary business here."

**'I guess he was listening,' **said Kyuubi.

"Well if that's the case why don't you come with me to my bar? I might have a job for you guys,"

"I have no problems with that. We needed a place to stay after all," said Naruto.

"Well I have some spare bunks at my place. You can stay there if you take the job."

"Ok. Are you ok with this?" he asked Gaara.

"Yes," replied Gaara.

"What about you Cloud?"

"I agree," he said.

"By the way," Tifa motioned again to the ninja. "I don't know your names."

"Oh of course. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and his name is Gaara." replied the blond.

"Nice to meet you," said Gaara.

"Nice to meet you too," replied Tifa. "Well follow me and I'll show you the way."

They followed her off the platform and followed a path with metallic junk piled high on both sides. At one point the path branched off and they saw a huge pillar holding up this section of the plate. There was another tower next to it that reached halfway up.

They continued on the original path until they came across a small group of houses. Most of them seamed to be made of scraps, but one of them looked like a wooden rest house.

As Tifa led them to the wooden rest house they passed a group of teenagers. One of them yelled out "Hey, how ya going? Who are they?"

"I'm fine and these are my very good friends who'll be staying with me for a while." replied Tifa.

Naruto could have sworn the one who spoke mumbled "Damn. I wish I was invited." before yelling, "That's nice,"

They walked up the stairs and went through the front door. As soon as they were through there was a yell of "Tifa's back!" before a little girl appeared from behind the counter and ran up to hug Tifa.

"Hello Marlene, I'm back. And I brought some friends of mine,"

Marlene looked at Cloud, then Naruto and finally at Gaara. As soon as she finished looking at the red head she said "He looks a little scary,"

Gaara looked downcast as Naruto patted him on the back and said "There, there, Gaara. Try smiling, like Me." and ripped out a fox grin.

"Well Marlene, this is Naruto, Gaara and Cloud."

"Hello," greeted Cloud.

"Hi," said Naruto.

Gaara just nodded.

"Guys, this is Marlene. She's the daughter of our group leader." Tifa introduced.

"Um, by the way, what group?" asked Cloud.

"You'll see as soon as Barret gets back. But he's not due back for another 20 minuets."

Naruto turned to Cloud. "Hey Cloud? Do you want to spar with me?" he asked.

"Ok," replied Cloud.

Naruto led Cloud outside. He then unclipped his sword and got into a fighting stance. Cloud followed suit, using Zack's Buster Sword.

Tifa, Marlene and Gaara gathered on the front porch to watch.

Nobody moved. Then both men raced at each other and met in the middle in a clash of sparks. They sprang apart and charged in again and started to perform attacks and counter-attacks. Suddenly Naruto pushed the offensive causing Cloud to switch to a defensive stance. Naruto's style seamed to favor speed over power as he tried to find an opening. Sensing this Cloud performed a counter, forcing Naruto away. Then Cloud went on the offensive and bore down on Naruto. The ninja brought his sword up to defend himself and almost buckled under the strength of the blow. Cloud's strikes were stronger than his but he was a little slower than himself. Naruto jumped away and held up his hand to signal to finish. Cloud nodded and clipped his sword back onto his back. Naruto did the same thing and walked up to Cloud.

"That was great. Seams you are a little stronger than me after all." he confessed.

"You are just as good, no, better in speed than I am. We should do this again sometime," he suggested.

"Yes, lets." Naruto agreed and they both shook hands.

Naruto heard clapping and turned to see Gaara, Tifa and Marlene clapping at them.

"That was a great demonstration you gave," said Tifa. "I'll know you'll do great for the job."

"What job?" came a gruff voice behind the swordsmen.

They turned to see four people. The one who had spoken was an absolute tank. He was very tall and burly, with large, well-trained muscles rippling under his black skin, thick like leather and firm to the touch. His face was strong and well structured, and he had a small black beard on around his mouth, and black hair on his head. He wore a torn green shirt and black trousers, but what was most amazing of all about this man was that on his right arm there was a large gun. His hand was missing completely on his right arm, and in its place there was the gun, grafted onto him so he could use it as a weapon.

On the right of the big man was a young woman. She had long light brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and also had a black band tied around her head. She wore a grey top and black trousers, and even from her appearance she looked tough, but still very feminine.

On the left was a young man. He was fairly tall and wore a ragged sleeveless green shirt and dark black trousers and boots. His hair was short and dark brown, and he had a single red band tied around his head.

Behind him was another young man. It was fair to say that he was rather plump, but he wasn't so heavy that he couldn't move around. He was fairly short, with a yellow T-shirt and black trousers, and a head of short black hair and a nervous expression from his face.

"Oh, you're all back!" Tifa said.

"Yeah, we're back," said the tank man.

"Well why don't you all come inside and we'll explain everything." said Tifa. So that's what they did. When everyone was inside, Tifa put out a sign that said 'CLOSED' and locked the door.

"Ok, Tifa. Would you mind telling me what this is all about?" said the tank a bit loudly.

"First, we should introduce ourselves."

"Ok," said Cloud. "My names Cloud Strife and I'm an ex member of SOLDIER." That got a reaction out of them all.

"Hi, my name is Naruto Uzumaki," said the blond shinobi.

"The name's Gaara," said the red-head.

"OK, well I'm Barret," said the tank.

"I'm Jessie," said the light brown haired woman.

"I'm Wedge," said the one in the yellow shirt.

"And I'm Biggs," said the tall man with the red bandana.

"Well now that that's sorted, why the hell is a member of Shinra's elite army SOLDIER here!!" yelled Barret.

"Actually he said ex member," replied Tifa calmly as if Barret's yelling was an everyday occurrence.

"Well yeah but..." Barret started to say but Tifa cut him off.

"But nothing. We are really hurting for help here." stated Tifa.

"...Ok, but I want to know what those others can do." he said, pointing at Gaara and Naruto.

"Well Naruto is just a good with a sword as Cloud but apart from that..." she finished up, shrugging.

"Well we have various techniques that we ourselves don't even know how we do it, but they are cool. We'll show you our sealing."

"What's sealing?" asked Jessie.

"It's a process that allows the user to store vast amounts of items into something simple like a piece of paper."

"That's impossible," exclaimed Biggs.

Naruto then pulled out the food scroll and said, "If I can prove it will you give me 500 gil?"

"Done," agreed Biggs.

The thought that was in both of their minds was 'Easy money'. Naruto then unrolled the paper and channeled some chakra into the kanji for food and a cloud of smoke appeared. When the smoke disappeared there were several packets of potato chips.

Naturally everyone excluding Gaara was open mouthed.

"Go on, have a packet." he offered. When they were a bit hesitant he said, "I promise they are not poisoned and to show you, I'll pick one at random." He closed his eyes and picked one off the table, opened his eyes and then opened the packet. He took a chip and started eating. First Cloud, then Tifa moved in and took one and started eating.

"Mmm, this is nice stuff," Cloud commented.

"Yeah, it is," agreed Tifa.

Now everyone was digging in to the food. When Biggs withdrew his wallet Naruto shook his head, indicating that he didn't want the money.

"Well this is mysterious," said Barret. "But useful. How much stuff can you store in these things?"

"About 500 kilos in one scroll." he answered.

Everyone's head shot up, their eyes bulging.

"Wow," said Wedge.

"You can almost seal anything inside. The only thing I can think of that you can't seal is anything that is living like humans, animals, bugs; stuff like that." explained Naruto.

"What else can you do?" asked Barret.

"Well Gaara can show you what he can do. He knows sealing like me, but he can control sand without using Materia."

"Holy shit," exclaimed Barret.

Gaara proceeded to fish out a bottle of sand. He opened the lid and placed the bottle on the table. He then activated his new bloodline and the sand dribbled out of the bottle. He moved his arms in an upward motion and the sand shot out of the bottle and hung in midair. He moved his arms sideways in a sweeping motion and the sand spread out to form a lance type weapon. He grabbed it to indicate that it was solid. Then he unsolidified the sand and directed it back into the bottle. Everyone clapped.

"And I can use two special moves. One I would rather do outside as it is very destructive but the other I can use." He then brought his hands together to form that seal we all know and said, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." and a cloud appeared next to Naruto. When it dissolved away they saw another Naruto.

Everyone excluding Gaara again had their eyes and mouths open.

"This is the Shadow Clone Technique and as you can see it is an exact replica of me. It even has the same personality as me. Can you take over for me?" he asked the clone.

"Of course," it replied.

"It can even talk?!" yelled Barret.

"Yes I can. And I am also solid," it explained as it walked to the table and grabbed a packet of chips and started to eat. "But if I take a direct hit I disappear. This makes me useful for spying and rescuing as I can turn into anything using a transforming jutsu that my master and Gaara can also use." It then proofed out of existence.

"As soon as the clone is dispelled the info it gathered is sent to me." explained the real Naruto.

"Holy fuck," mouthed Barret.

"Well I'm sold. You guys are alright to be on the team with me. But the ultimate decision is up to Barret." said Jessie.

"Well I have no problems except for spiky over there." he pointed to Cloud. "I'm gonna go on record that I still don't trust ya."

"That's ok," replied Cloud.

"So what do you want us to do?" asked Gaara.

"Well we have a mission tomorrow to blow up a reactor." replied Barret. "But there is a security check in the train that we ride in about half way there. We don't have enough time to make you ID cards."

"Does this security thingy check the outside of the train as well?" asked Naruto.

"No it doesn't but how does that help you?"

"We can ride on top of the train. Don't worry. We'll be fine." reassured Cloud.

"OK. Well we better get some sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a big day."

Everyone agreed. Cloud, Naruto and Gaara followed Tifa to a back room. There were three beds inside with some blankets.

"Ok, get some sleep." said Tifa.

"OK," replied all three.


	7. Chapter 7: Setting Up Some Expensive Fir

Chapter 7: Setting Up Some Expensive Fireworks

**Chapter 7: Setting Up Some Expensive Fireworks**

_**'C'mon, you know you like it,'**_

_'Can you please stop it?'_

_**'Why stop something you don't like?'**_

_'Because I don't like it.'_

_**'You're not being truthful.'**_

_'Yes actually I am'_

_**'Then why do you have a nose bleed?'**_

_'I do not. I have complete confidents in myself to not do that.'_

Naruto had finally had enough. He was trying to sleep in but then Gaara and Nibi started talking in their minds, which was broadcasted to his mind.

'Ok, what are you guys talking about?' he thought, opening his eyes.

_'Nibi-san thought it would be funny to show herself naked while I was sleeping. I was just telling her that I wasn't into that stuff, but she is not backing off.'_

_**'That's because I know you like it.'**_

_'No I don't,'_

'I guess this would be a bad time to tell you that you have blood running out of your nose' thought Naruto as he saw a thin dribble of blood coming out of his nose.

_'Do I really?! FUCK! I thought she was joking._' Gaara then proceeded to wipe the blood from his nose.

"Good morning," said Naruto.

"No it isn't," replied Gaara.

"Why not?" asked Cloud who was already up.

"Because Gaara thought he was immune to the sight of a naked woman. But that nose bleed proved him wrong." explained Naruto happily.

Gaara sent him a Level 10 Death Glare and said, "I'll get you for that."

"Uh-huh, yeah sure," he replied sarcastically. He then got into a gangster pose and said in a deep voice, "You can't prank the prankster, yeah!"

There was a knock at the door and Tifa's voice filtered through the crack. "Are you ready to go?" she said.

"Just give us a sec Tifa," replied Naruto as he started to check he had everything. Gaara did the same thing and Cloud clipped on his sword.

Naruto opened the door and said "Alright we're ready,"

"Ok. Meet downstairs for the mission brief." and she walked away.

"Shall we go," he asked the others.

Gaara and Cloud walked out with Naruto to the main room and stood in front of the pinball game. Naruto pulled the leaver on the side and they went down.

Everyone was already there and Barret stood up and said to the newcomers, "I was able to get some Materia for you guys for a discount." and handed Naruto 6 Materia.

"Now there's two of each. Fire, Ice and Bolt. OK?" he asked.

Naruto looked down to see a small ball of energy in one of the little green orbs. "I guess this is a bolt one," he murmured as he took it. He then took one that had a small flame inside. "That must be fire." He then unclipped his sword and pressed the bolt one to one of the circles and it melted into the sword, showing a green light from the place where he put it. He did the same thing with the fire Materia and then watched as the others did the same thing. Cloud chose the Ice and Bolt and Gaara got the Fire and Ice.

"Ok, this is the plan. We're going to take the train from this sector and ride it to Sector 1. Jessie will then open the locked door leading to No. 1 reactor. Got it?" asked Barret.

"Yes," everyone said.

"Tifa? You take care of Marlene and the store."

"You got it," said Tifa.

"Ok, let's move out." ordered Barret.

Everyone filed out of the building and headed for the station. The train was already there and everyone walked through the doors, leaving Naruto, Gaara and Cloud. Naruto quietly knocked out the guard at the doors and jumped up on top of the train, the others following suite, and made their way to the front.

They faintly heard the announcement from below them that the train was leaving now and heard the doors close. Then the train started to move, picking up speed quickly. Naruto and Gaara fastened themselves to the top of the train with chakra while Cloud leaned forward to brace himself against the wind.

Naruto took this opportunity to take in its surroundings. There were piles of junk everywhere with paths in between. The train now started to move around the central pillar and as they got closer to the top Naruto felt a sense of thrill. The train went through an opening in the plate and they got their first glimpse of the top.

From what Naruto could see the city was shaped like a giant circle, and was split into eight separate sections by large walls of metal, and eight separate towers bordering the corners. The towers were actually large reactors that sucked up energy from the ground below and converted it into energy that the people in the city used for their everyday lives. Noxious looking gases were being ejected from the tops of the tall reactor towers and into the air. Another large tower was built in the centre of the city, much taller and thinner than the reactors, and it was in that building where the city's president and his workers lived, running the city from its well secured safety.

The train was just pulling into the station around one of the eight sectors of the city, pulling up close near to one of the tall reactor towers. It was quiet on the platform while the train began to slow down, with only two guards in dark red uniforms standing silently against the walls, trying to think of things to pass away the time until their shifts were over. They clearly weren't expecting anything to happen at any time soon, so they weren't expecting what happened as the train finally came to a gentle stop at the side of the station, and squeaked loudly as the rails skidded and stopped, and a loud puff as steam was released into the air. One of the soldiers glanced up, and then looked down again uninterested.

One of the soldiers looked up as Biggs climbed up and jumped off the top of the train and landed strongly on the platform. Immediately he began to run to Biggs, knowing for sure that he wasn't a passenger on the train. As he neared him, Biggs reached out and grabbed the soldier by his shoulder, and then turned and harshly pulled on the soldier's arm, lifting him up and throwing him harshly over his shoulder. The soldier flew over quite easily and landed with a heavy thud on the concrete ground, knocked out instantly as he landed.

The other soldier stared in surprise as he saw his colleague fall to the ground unconscious as the tall man attacked him. He recovered quickly though and also began to run towards Biggs, ready to apprehend him for trespassing and assault. He reached out and grabbed onto a small gun that was latched onto his belt, just in case Biggs resisted.

However as he ran across the platform Jessie suddenly ran out from the side of the train and stopped in front of him, and before the soldier could stop she suddenly lashed out and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying back against the side of the train. His head collided with the hard, cold metal and he slumped to the ground, also knocked unconscious. Wedge followed Jessie out, glad he didn't have to do any fighting. After a quick look around, he ran over towards his two friends.

Then Barret came out and motioned for the new recruits on the roof to come down. All three used their hands to propel them off the train and landed in a knelling position before getting up.

"C'mon newcomers. Follow me," and started running off the platform. The ninja and ex-SOLDIER followed but were cut off from soldiers that looked like Shinra grunts.

They watched as the two soldiers ran over to them, not making any moves that would cause the two to shoot them before they were close enough to them. Once they were just a few feet away from the three, Cloud reached out and grabbed one of the soldiers by his arm, and then powerfully swung him around in a large circle. The soldier was hardly able to keep his balance as he was swung around, and could only see a blur as he staggered over his feet, so he was completely caught off guard as he slammed into his partner and fell down onto the ground, toppling down onto him, and the two soldiers lay stunned while the three ran off hurriedly across the platform and out through the other door to the alleys beyond.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all waiting in the next alley, all standing nervously outside a large metal door that stood nearby. Jessie was kneeling at the foot of the door, typing furiously into a small metal box that was positioned on the floor, showing a small keypad filled with numbers and letters. The door was locked by a prefix code, and she was trying hard to crack it. Biggs and Wedge were standing behind her and watching for any soldiers that might come their way, and Barret was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow, you used to be in SOLDIER all right..." Biggs said, his voice filled with awe. "Not every day you find one in a group like AVALANCHE."

Jessie turned around from decoding the looked and asked, "SOLDIER? Aren't they the enemy?"

"Yeah but remember Jessie. He told us that he was an _ex- _SOLDIER. He quit them and now is one of us. Sorry but I forgot your names." he apologized.

"The names Cloud,"

"I'm Naruto,"

"Gaara," they all reintroduced themselves.

"Ok, well I'm..." he started to say but Cloud cut him off.

"I don't care what your names are. Once this job's over I'm outta here."

"Don't mind him; he just likes acting like a bad-ass. And besides, we know your names remember?" said Naruto. Slowly, Biggs nodded his head again and turned back towards Jessie, feeling a little put off by Cloud's cold response. Just then Barret ran up from one of the side alleys that wound their way around the reactor area, and came to a stop beside them. He looked from one person to another, and a wave of anger spread across his face.

"The hell you all doin'!?" he raged angrily as he glared out at the four people standing in front of him. "I thought I told you never to move in a group!"

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all flinched as Barret shouted at them angrily. Naruto looked from one person to the other as they jumped and shuddered at the sound of Barret's angry voice, which gave him the impression that Barret shouted at them a lot. As he finished shouting he took a deep breath to calm himself, and then pointed up to the metal door that Jessie was trying to open.

"Our target's the North Mako Reactor," he informed them, keeping the stern, almost stressed stone in his voice. "We'll meet on the bridge in front of it."

At that moment there was a loud click from the door as Jessie finally managed to crack the code, and the large set of metal doors began to slide open, the metal scraping hard against the dry, paved paths of the alley. As the doors opened fully and stopped on either side of the wall the three minors got up and ran through the door before Barret could tell them to get a move on, running into the enclosed area beyond and out of sight. The ninja moved inside but Barret blocked the doorway before Cloud could follow.

"Ex-SOLDIER, huh?" Barret asked Cloud. He eyed Cloud up and down, and curled his lip angrily. "Don't trust ya!"

With that Barret turned and ran off into the enclosure, following the ninja and his teammates into the reactor area. Cloud stayed behind for a few moments as Barret ran out of sight, and then he turned his gaze up towards a tall structure looming above him.

Their train had come to a stop at the very edge of the city of Midgar, right at one of the points where two sectors joined, separated by a reactor building. The tall tower that rose up at the edge of the sectors was just one of the eight reactors that powered the city, and was just one of the sources of Midgar's power and money. It was a very restricted area, and Cloud knew the consequences of what would happen if they were caught. For a second or two Cloud looked up at the tall, cylindrical shape of the reactor, before he too ran off through the open doors and into the vicinity of the reactor.

Meanwhile the others were doing there best not to gawk as Naruto and Gaara jumped to the top of rubble and landed in front of the entrance.

"I wish I could do that," mumbled Wedge as he passed the two shinobi followed by the rest of the gang. They met up with Cloud and entered together. Naruto was confused. It was almost as quiet inside the reactor building as it was on the outside. There were hardly any soldiers around at all, which seemed quite unusual since this was supposed to be a high security building.

This was the first checkpoint of the mission. They were on a T-Junction bridge, with a door at the far end leading to another exit, and a door down the longer path leading towards the reactor. Wedge ran off from the group and stood at the far door, guarding their future exit, while everyone else ran down towards the other door. Inside the reactor was a weird smell of gas, metal, oil and a unique smell that the ninja couldn't describe.

As they caught up to Barret standing outside another locked metal door, Biggs was already trying to unlock the code for this one, while Jessie looked around anxiously for any signs of Shinra soldiers. Barret had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot impatiently as Biggs typed into the small console.

"Yo, this your first time in a reactor?" asked Barret, clearly talking to the ninja and ignoring Cloud.

The ninja nodded but Cloud said "No. After all, I did work for Shinra, y'know."

"The Planet's full of Mako energy," Barret explained. "People here use it everyday."

'This Shinra sound like Gato and his money grabbing scheme from that mission in the Wave country,' Naruto thought.

"It's the life blood of the Planet, but Shinra keeps sucking the blood out with these weird machines!" Barret continued, shouting heatedly and waving his arms around madly.

"I'm not here for a lecture. Let's just hurry." said Cloud, acting like he didn't care when in his mind he thought 'Looks like I'll be doing some more missions for these guys. People like Shinra just piss me off.'

Barret looked pissed that he looked like he didn't care. "That's it! You're comin' with me from now on."

Just then Biggs decrypted the code for the door as it slowly opened. Everyone walked in to find another locked door. Jessie was all over it and soon she had deciphered the code. The door opened to reveal another door but it wasn't locked. Jessie ran up to it and pressed the button on the left hand side and walked in. Everyone except Biggs who was stationed in the first room went inside.

The room was actually a lift that was full of blipping lights. Jessie asked, "Can you push that button over there?" and she pointed to a panel that had an up/down switch. Naruto pressed the down button. There was a stomach-churning jerk as the lift began to move, heading down into the depths of the reactor building and underneath the upper plates of the city. Jessie looked up at the ceiling and sighed heavily, trying to calm herself. It was a stressful mission, and they didn't know when the enemy would show up, so they had to take every precaution that they could.

"Little by little the reactor'll drain out all the life. And that'll be that." said Barret sadly.

"It's not my problem." replied a bored Cloud.

"The planet's dyin', Cloud!" exclaimed Barret, surprised that someone could act so casual about this.

"The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security and the Roboguards come." stated the spiky swordsman.

Barret looked real pissed but remembered that he used to be in SOLDIER and was probably still uncaring.

At that moment the lift gave a sudden shudder as it came to a stop on the level below, and the door slid open. Straight away Jessie ran through to the section beyond. Everyone else followed her.

The next area was part of the main reactor system. There was a large metal structure in the middle of the hall, rising up until it almost touched the ceiling. There were a number of large, round pipes flowing all around the area, going into the walls and the floor, pumping power throughout the whole facility. The whole place was a booby trap in itself, which was why the reactors and maintenance was so important. One thing could go wrong in the building, and the whole place would explode. A set of stairs wound their way down the side of the metal structure, and while Jessie, Barret and Cloud were hurriedly making their way down those stairs the ninja took the shortcut by vaulting over the side and landing on their feet at the bottom. There was a single door based at the bottom of those stairs, leading into another chamber, and the five intruders kicked the door open and ran through.

Now they were in the real bowels of the reactor chamber. The way they had entered was almost like a back passage, since the only way through was by going across a number of grids crossing about twenty metres above the ground. Jessie had managed to hack her way into the Shinra database and knew the outline of the reactor pretty well, so she led the way as they entered the reactor itself and began to run across the grids. The only way further down into the reactor was by going down a number of angled ladders towards over criss-cross grids.

Jessie's stop was around here. As they climbed down the first ladder and onto the next level, Jessie ran over towards the other end and stopped by another ladder. She nodded at Barret, who nodded back at her. Now it was Barret's turn to lead the way down towards the reactor.

The group of four jumped up onto the next ladder and began to slide down towards the pipes below, and then ran across the bulky, spherical pipes that crossed over the ceiling above the main floor. Naruto and the others followed Barret across the pipes and down the final ladder, until they finally reached the level where the reactor was based. Together Barret, Cloud, Gaara and Naruto walked down the long walkway towards the reactor. On either side where the bridge ended, there was a long drop towards the bottom. More pipes were gathered there, and clouds of red-hot steam prevented them from seeing what lay at the very bottom.

The reactor lay just ahead of them. It wasn't very big in itself, for it was just a large cylinder half embedded in the wall, with faded, burnt writing scrawled over its surface. Of course within the wall there would be numerous contraptions designed for sucking out the Mako and converting it into energy to power the city, but that wasn't what they were interested in. It was the reactor that they wanted.

Then Naruto noticed a Materia just lying on the ground. He picked it up and saw that there was a small green cloud swirling inside it.

He showed it to Barret who said that it looked like a restore Materia. He then put it in the third slot on his sword.

They then walked up to the valve. It had a wheel that looked like it was a manual switch to turn the flow on or off. Naruto speculated that if the bomb was set here it would blow this place sky high. Barret confirmed his thoughts by saying, "When we blow this place, this ain't gonna be nothin' more than a hunka junk. Cloud, you set the bomb."

Cloud looked at him. "Shouldn't you do it?"

"Jus' do it! I gotta watch to make sure you don't pull nothin'."

"Fine, be my guest."

Suddenly Cloud lowered his head, as if hearing something.

"……What's wrong?" Barret asked, seeing him hesitate.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Cloud? Hurry it up!" said Barret.

"Yeah, sorry." Cloud apologized. Barret reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device, and passed it to Cloud. It was a bomb, one that clearly had been made by AVALANCHE themselves, and not one they had got professionals to make. Jessie was an expert in those kinds of matters, and she had made this bomb herself. It was small and fragile, but would be very effective against the reactor. Cloud took the makeshift device and knelt down beside the reactor.

He placed the bomb at the foot of the reactor, pushing it right against the wall in its darkest crevice so that no one would spot it and disarm it before it could go off. There was a small keypad on the front of the bomb, to input a time limit. Cloud typed in 10:00. Ten minutes would be all they needed to make their way out of the building again, giving time to fight off any security that came their way.

All of a sudden, a loud siren went off, ringing loudly throughout the reactor chamber. Barret looked up in surprise as a red light flooded the chamber. They should have known planting the bomb on the reactor wasn't going to be that easy. A loud grating noise suddenly began to reverberate throughout the chamber, and Cloud stood up and looked behind him.

"Heads up, here they come!" yelled Barret.

Coming down the corridor towards them was a rather nasty-looking robot. It looked like a giant, chunky scorpion made of red metal, standing on two thick legs that ended in pointy tips, digging into the metal grating as it stomped its way down the path towards the four fighters. On either side of its body were two stocky arms, and over its chest was a metal plate bearing a searchlight, which was waving around frantically as it searched for the intruders. Its face was just a chunk of metal with flashing lights on the front, but rising up behind the robot was a large metal tail that was relaxed at that moment, and was tipped with a laser. Apart from SOLDIER, this was Shinra's most deadly weapon: a Roboguard.

"Yes. A better battle than the dweebs from a little while ago." smirked Naruto, unclipping his sword.

"Indeed," agreed Gaara as he drew his gun.

Cloud grinned, silently agreeing.

Gaara unloaded his whole clip, damaging the forward sensors. Then Barret shot a couple of bullets from his gun arm. The robot got pissed at this and turned around to use its tail to stab at Naruto. Some of the jabs hit and he looked at his watch to see that a small amount of his HP had gone. He body flickered to the side and behind the robot all the while holding his sword outstretched to the side of him, effectively severing the joints and wires in the middle, rendering the robot's legs useless. The tail then rose up in the air and Barret unloaded another clip on the scorpion before Cloud could warn him that it would counter-attack. The tail built up energy and then released it in a beam that hit the whole party. Naruto healed Gaara as he prepared to attack. He watched as Gaara called out the name of his new move.

"Divine 32 Bullets Of Death!" (Like Neji's move). He then body flickered to a new position each time he yelled out and unloaded the bullets in this order;

"One strike! Two strikes! Four strikes! Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! THIRTY-TWO STRIKES!!"

By this time the robot was in bad shape as it tried to counter-attack with its tail but Cloud got the last strike. He ran up to the can opener and jumped high into the air before yelling "BRAVER!!" coming down with his sword in a powerful vertical slice which went straight through the head of the annoyance, leaving it to crumble and cave in on itself.

"C'mon. We gotta go." said Cloud as he and everyone else ran around the steaming junkyard and sprinted for the stairs. Naruto and Gaara pumped chakra into their feet as Naruto picked up Cloud and Gaara used his sand to pick up Barret. They sprinted up the wall and landed near Jessie who seemed to be having a problem. Naruto saw that her foot was caught and proceeded to help.

"Oh Naruto, thanks." she said before urging them on and started to climb up the ladder while Naruto and Gaara who's charges were both protesting to being held, ran up the wall again to reach the ledge and ran through the doorway.

Naruto then hefted Jessie over the other shoulder and started to run up the wall with Gaara close behind and reached the lift before letting everyone down and pressing the up button.

They moved up to the top level and ran out of the lift, Jessie moving to open the door. When it opened, Biggs opened the next door and they all bolted down the walkway and turned right to see Wedge waving them on as he went through the door. Barret accidentally pushed passed Jessie who tripped but not before Naruto helped her up and ran through the door. He then heard crackling sounds as the whole place shook, bringing the entrance and exit smashing down.


	8. Chapter 8: A Strange Girl and Catching A

Chapter 8: A Strange Girl and Catching a Train

**Chapter 8: A Strange Girl and Catching a Train**

When the rumbling had died down Naruto looked up to find that the place had been completely blocked up by a piece of the reactor. Finally Biggs spoke up.

"That should keep the Planet going at least a little longer."

"Yeah!" Wedge said enthusiastically.

Barret didn't say anything as he was quite a bit put out by that red head using his sand to grab him.

Meanwhile Naruto was having a conversation with Gaara.

'How come you used Neji's move?' he asked inside his head.

_'Well I was very impressed with that move from the finals for the Chunnin Exams. When the time came I just copied his move a bit.' _he explained_._

'Well it was very impressive'

Just then Jessie took out a bomb to blow open a hole through the rubble that was blocking the exit. Naruto said, "Hold on a minute Jessie."

"Why? We have to get out." she replied.

"I have a better way to get out." he assured.

"Ok. Go ahead." She had no problems with not using the bomb. It just meant that it would be used in the next bombing.

Naruto nodded before outstretching his hand and started creating a Rasengan. The group looked on in amazement at this ball of shimmering energy that was in the palm of his hand. He yelled out, "Rasengan!" before thrusting it towards the rubble and blasted through easily.

The rubble exploded outwards, scattering around the floor. When the smoke disappeared they saw the exit was now clear.

"Thanks," said Barret.

"No problems," replied Naruto.

The group walked through the exit and gathered to where Barret stopped.

"All right, now let's get out of here!" Barret said suddenly. "Rendezvous at the Sector 8 station. Split up and get on the train."

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie nodded, and then turned and ran off in different directions towards the sector. They didn't want to be told off by Barret again.

Barret waited until they had disappeared before he started to run as well.

"H-hey!" Cloud said as he didn't want his paycheck to run away.

Barret stopped on the stairs near to where they stood, and looked back at Cloud.

"If it's about your money, save it 'til we're back at the hideout," he replied and continued running.

"Well," said Naruto, "Why don't we start heading for the train station?"

"Good idea," agreed Gaara and Cloud together.

They followed the stairs that Barret took and rounded the corner. Wreckage from the blown up reactor lay everywhere on the streets, and had even destroyed some of the buildings. The old theatre in the sector centre was in ruins, and everything had come to a complete stop. A giant chunk of the reactor was still lying smoldering in the sector centre, and it was here that the people were running around the most, crying out to each other as they tried to figure out what was going on.

As Naruto looked up towards the spot where the reactor had once been, he could see that it was on fire. Clouds of smoke were billowing up into the air in giant gushes, and flames were still covering the broken cylinder. The explosion of the reactor had caused a power cut throughout the city and it was very dark indeed.

There was one young woman who was looking around but keeping her cool. One scared citizen knocked into the woman, knocking her over. As she picked herself up the trio walked up to her. She saw them and walked up and asked in a delicate voice, "Excuse me, what happened?"

For a moment Cloud nearly panicked, unsure of what he should say to the woman without her arousing suspicion that he had anything to do with the explosion. As he looked into her face he felt something strangely peculiar about her. There was a strange feeling emanating from her, something he couldn't quite pinpoint. She looked very kind and gentle, and her brown eyes were very calming and almost spiritual. She seemed very innocent, and not the type of person he expected to see in a rough and run down sector such as this one. Naruto thankfully covered for him.

"I don't know. All of a sudden the reactor blew up while we were helping my mom with some stuff. We came to check it out."

Cloud nodded then said, "Hey, listen... uh..." The woman looked at him, and Cloud rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Don't see many flowers around here," he said finally.

She looked down at her basket. "Oh these?" she asked. "Do you like them? They're only a gil..."

She looked at him hopefully. Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out the last coin that he had kept, and passed it to the girl. "Sorry, it's my last one,"

"That's fine," she said gratefully.

"I think I'll buy a couple," said Naruto and fished his hand into his pocket, open the bag inside and brought out two coins. "Here you are." he said as he handed the coins over.

"Oh, thank you!" she said. She put the three coins in her pocket, and then took three different flowers from her basket; two blues and one red. She handed one of the blue one's to Cloud and the other ones to Naruto.

"Thank you." she said again.

"Here you go," said Naruto, giving Gaara the red one. He took it and fished two small pieces of ninja wire out of his pocket, gave one to Naruto and they both unslung their weapons and tied one end of the wire onto the handle and the other to the flowers.

The girl seemed happy from this action as they slung their weapons into their original positions.

Suddenly there was a small explosion. Cloud turned to the woman.

"Looks like you'll have to cut your business short today," suggested Cloud.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be very nice if something happened to you," added Naruto.

"You're right. I should go. It was nice meeting you." she said before running off.

"We should get going too," said Naruto.

They agreed and ran across the square and down an alley.

"This is a short cut to the station." Cloud half yelled.

"Hey! You there!"

They turned around and saw two soldiers dressed in blue uniforms walking towards them. They each had rifles in their hands, and were advancing on them slowly.

"Shinra Soldiers!" Cloud cursed. He quickly turned and ran down the street away from the soldiers with the shinobi behind him.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers shouted, but they continued to run.

The soldiers started firing, missing their targets. They wanted them to stop.

They reached the end of the street and turned sharply right to the next street.

As they turned, they quickly skidded to a stop. There were two more Shinra soldiers standing directly ahead of him, also with rifles that were aimed at them. Quickly they turned around and headed the other way, and the soldiers began to chase them. They only managed to run a few steps before another two soldiers burst into the street directly ahead of them, blocking off their only escape route.

"Great," Cloud said under his breath.

"We can take them," answered Gaara.

But it seemed Naruto had heard something and said, "No, I have a better idea,"

The other two looked at him but Naruto kept his focus in front of him.

"That's as far as you go," one of the soldiers said smugly. Each of the soldiers had their guns raised, ready to fire if they made any other attempts to escape.

"I don't have time to be messin' around with you guys," Cloud protested, but it was useless trying to fool the soldiers. They knew they had been up to something.

"Enough babbling. Grab him!" the soldier commanded.

As the soldiers began closing in slowly they all heard the sound of a train and it sounded as if it was getting closer.

"I see your plan," said Gaara.

"Yes I do too," realized Cloud.

Quickly they turned and stepped up onto the edge of the bridge away from the soldiers. Realizing their plan the soldiers quickly dashed forward, but couldn't stop Cloud and the others as they jumped off the edge of the bridge, just as the train appeared from the tunnel below.

They landed on the top of the train and Cloud balanced steadily as it sped away from the sector. The ninja used their chakra to stick to the top. It moved hurriedly away from the bridge where the six soldiers were cursing loudly at his escape, and could only watch as the train disappeared into the next tunnel ahead of them, carrying their suspects with it.

"C'mon!" Naruto yelled to the others. "I bet Barret and the others will be in the cargo hold!"

Gaara nodded and Cloud yelled, "It's before the coal cart!"

They started to move up the train slowly until Cloud yelled, "This is it!"

There were no skylights so they had to somehow open the door on the side.

"I got it!" said Naruto as he walked over the top and down the side and knocked hard once. He waited but no-one opened the door. He knocked hard again, twice this time but the same thing happened. He then decided that opening the door would be better so he reached down and wrenched open the door.

Seeing this the others swung themselves in with Naruto following.

"Hey! Its you guys!" came several voices.

Naruto looked up to see that everyone was here. Biggs had a big grin on his face. Wedge was bouncing on the spot. Jessie's smile was very warm and relieved. But Barret was still trying to get rid of the shock.

"Sorry we're a little late. We were distracted twice," apologized Naruto as he and the others were dusting the soot that had accumulated on them off.

"You damn right you're late! Come waltzin' in here, makin' a big scene!"

Cloud shrugged, saying "It's no big deal. Just what I always do."

"Shi't!" Barret swore loudly, losing his temper with Cloud. "Having everyone worried like that, you don't give a damn 'bout no one but yourself!"

"Hey! We were cornered by Shinra soldiers for a while." Naruto defended his friend.

"Hmm... You were worried about me?" asked Cloud.

"Wha!" Barret raged, thrashing his arms through the air. "I'm takin' it out of your money, hot stuff!" He turned quickly and headed towards the door leading into the next train car. "Wake up! We're movin' out! Follow me."

With that, Barret pushed open the door of the car and headed out. Wedge followed him, saying to Cloud "Hey, Cloud, you were great back there," before he turned and walked through the door after Barret. Once he was gone Biggs walked to Cloud.

"Heh, heh, Cloud! We'll do even better next time," he said, and he also walked through the door.

Jessie pushed off the create she was leaning against and moved over to the open door that Naruto was still standing very close to.

"Be careful," she warned Naruto. "I'll shut this."

Naruto watched as Jessie pulled the lever that released the door, and pushed it shut. When she was done she turned to Naruto, and looked him up and down carefully. A smile spread on her face as she did so, and nearly burst out laughing.

"Oh, Naruto!" she laughed. "Your face is pitch black!"

Before Naruto could react she suddenly reached out and began to rub at his face with her hand, wiping away all the soot that had been smeared over him when he was on the roof. When she had got most of it off she pulled away and smiled.

"There you go," she said. She then walked past Naruto, heading for the other door, when she suddenly stopped and looked back at him with another gentle smile. "Say, thanks for helping me back there at the reactor."

She then went through the door. Naruto was still a little shocked. No-one had touched him like that before for fear of Kyuubi. He wasn't used to the contact yet.

Gaara said, "Lets go, Naruto." who woke from his trance. He nodded and walked out with Gaara and Cloud following behind.


	9. Chapter 9: The Debriefing and The Explan

**Chapter 9: The Debriefing and The Explanation**

The next car was quiet and almost empty. Naruto and the others listened to the cool female voice that rang out.

"Last train out of Sector Eight station. Last stop is Sector 7, Train Graveyard. Expected Time of Arrival is 12:23am, Midgar Standard Time."

At that point the door at the far end of the car opened and in came AVALANCHE. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge all stormed into the centre of the car and looked around, their fists clenched and chased out everyone in the train.

There were two people talking near Naruto and he listened in on what they were saying.

"See the headlines in the Shinra Times?" he asked. "The terrorists that bombed the Number One Reactor are based somewhere in the slums. Blowing up a Reactor... They sure put some thought into this one. They must have a real calculating leader." Barret was trying his best not to look smug about it. "I wonder what they'll do next..."

Then Naruto went over to talk to Biggs about security but he said, "It seems as though this train hasn't switched to security mode yet, but I'm sure that will change by tomorrow."

Then Jessie waved Naruto over to where she was standing. It seemed that she wanted him to see something. Cloud and Gaara followed Naruto to see what she wanted to see.

"Hey, Naruto, you want to look at this with me?" she asked. "It's a map of the Midgar Rail System. Let's look at it together. I'll explain it to you. I like this kind of stuff. Bombs and monitors... you know, flashy stuff."

Being the nice person that he was he agreed. Gaara was a bit curious and Cloud hung around cause there was nothing else to do.

"Okay, it's about to start," she said.

As she spoke the screen came to life, and a 3D graphic image of Midgar appeared. It showed the whole circular shape of the city, as well as its top plates and underground cities.

"This is a complete model of the city of Midgar," Jessie explained, "It's about a 1/10,000 scale. The top plate is about 50 metres above ground. A main support structure holds the plates up in the centre and there are other support structures built in each section."

She suddenly leaned in close to Naruto and whispered quietly into his ear.

"The No. 1 reactor we blew up was in the Northern section. Then there's No. 2, No. 3, all the way up to the No. 8 reactor. The eight reactors provide Midgar with electricity. Each town used to have a name, but no one in Midgar remembers them. Instead of names, we refer to them by numbered sectors. That's the kind of place this is." She sighed and turned to the screen. "Phew, this is next, look."

The screen in front of them flashed as a new image appeared on the screen. The screen appeared to zoom in on a particular part of the city map – in particular the sectors that the train was currently traveling through. A number of white dots began to appear on the map, following a strict route from one sector to the other.

"This is the route the train is on," Jessie continued, indicating the white dots. "The route spirals about the main support structure, we should be coming around the centre area, right now. At each checkpoint an ID sensor device is set up. It can check the identities and backgrounds of each and every passenger on the train by linking it up to the control data bank at Shinra Headquarters."

She leaned in once more to whisper to Naruto.

"Anyone could tell that we look suspicious, so we're using fake ID's." Her speech was cut short as a bright red light suddenly flashed throughout the car, followed by a faint beeping noise. The ninja and Cloud jumped and looked up as the red light swept over everything and everyone in the car, but they could see that they were the only one reacting to it. Jessie laughed at their reaction, and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Speak of the devil..." she commented. "That light means we're in the ID security check area. When the lights go off, you never know what kind of creeps'll come out. Anyhow, we're almost back now, that's a relief..."

She then seemed to be thinking about something and said to the three, "I know, next time I'll give you one I made myself."

"Looking forward to it," said Naruto, not wanting to sound ungrateful.

"Okay, then I'll put a little extra effort in, and make it with a BANG!" Jessie said excitedly, seeming to get fired up at the prospect of making the newbie's some fake ID's.

Cloud thought she was a little strange so he went to where Barret was sitting. Barret was looking out of the window.

"Look, you can see the surface now," he said solemnly. "This city don't have no day or night. If that plate weren't there, we could see the sky."

Naruto and Gaara walked over to where Barret was sat and leaned over to look out of the window.

"A floating city..." Cloud whispered quietly. "Pretty unsettling scenery."

"Huh?" Barret asked, looking at Cloud in surprise. "Never expect to hear that out of someone like you. You jes' full of surprises." He stood up and walked towards his comrades. "The upper world... a city on a plate... It's cause of that fuckin' 'pizza' that people are suffering. And the city below is full of polluted air. And on top of that, the reactor keeps drainin' up all the energy!"

"Then why doesn't everyone move onto the plate?" Naruto asked.

Barret shrugged. "Dunno," he admitted. "Probably cause they ain't got no money. Or maybe... cause they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets."

"I know," Cloud agreed, looking down. "No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train, it can't run anywhere except where its rails take it."

With that statement everyone looked out of the window. It wasn't much longer to Sector 7 where they would be getting off. The train spiraled fairly quickly around the main support structure of the city before spinning off towards the Sector 7 slums.

Eventually the train pulled slowly into the station and its doors opened, letting all its passengers off. The AVALANCHE members climbed off the train last, of course, and continued to try and look natural as they got off, looking around constantly. Barret, Cloud and the shinobi were the last to get off, and Barret looked around at them angrily.

"Yo! Get over here, all'ya!" he ordered sharply and everyone gathered round.

"This mission was a success, but don't get lazy now," he warned his comrades sternly. "The hard part's still to come. Don't y'all be scared of that explosion... Cause the next one's gonna be bigger than that!"

With that he ran off a little down the train platform, before stopping and turning back to his companions.

"Meet back at the hideout. Move out!"

The others split off, being cautious to look normal. But Naruto, Gaara and Cloud walked back to the bar.

As they came in sight they saw that Barret was running up the steps of the building, and he pushed open the saloon-like doors as he ran inside. Moments later there was the sound of gunfire, and a series of people fled from the building in a fright. Barret burst out moments later, ranting and raving angrily about them being in his territory. Some of the punks shouted abuse back at Barret, but when Barret raised his gun-arm once more they immediately fled as fast as they could. Barret then walked down the steps of the bar and stood at the bottom like a guard.

Naruto and Gaara walked up and Barret let them in with the rest of the team.

When they walked in Tifa looked up and said in a worried tone, "Where is Cloud?"

"Still outside," said Naruto.

At that point Cloud came through the door and walked towards Naruto and the others. Or would have if Marlene hadn't rushed towards him yelling "Papa!" before skidding to a stop, realizing that this was not her papa but Cloud.

"Welcome home Cloud," she said.

Then Tifa came out from behind the counter and walked to him.

"Welcome home, Cloud," she said pleasantly to Cloud. "Looks like everything went well. Did you fight with Barret?"

"Not this time," Cloud told her plainly.

"_He_ almost did though," called Naruto who was busy getting his food scroll.

"Hmm..." Tifa muttered thoughtfully, thinking hard. "You've grown up. When you were little you used to get into fights at the drop of a hat."

Cloud scratched the back of his head anxiously. Tifa seemed to think for a few moments more, before she suddenly spotted the flower that Cloud had clutched in his hand, which he was still holding after he bought them from the lady in Sector 8.

"A flower?" Tifa asked in amazement. "How nice. You almost never see them here in the slums. But... A flower for me? Oh, Cloud, you shouldn't have!"

Cloud stared for a moment in bewilderment. He had almost forgotten about the flowers he'd bought. He hadn't intentionally bought them for Tifa, but he had nothing else to do with them. So he gave it to Tifa.

"Thank you, Cloud," she said honestly. "It smells wonderful." She turned towards the rest of the bar. "Maybe I should fill the store with flowers."

With Naruto busy pigging out on the warm chicken sandwages he summoned Cloud moved to go find Barret and talk about his pay so he could get out of there. As he reached the door there came a loud thundering sound from outside. The saloon doors suddenly burst open, giving Cloud just barely enough time to jump back onto a nearby table out of the way as Barret stormed into the bar and looked around.

"Papa!" Marlene cried, running out from behind Tifa and towards Barret. "Welcome home!"

"Yeah!" Barret said. He knelt down and picked her up in his arms, placing her carefully on his shoulder.

"Are you all right, Barret?" Tifa asked Barret, changing the conversation.

"Great!" Barret replied with enthusiasm. Then he turned to the others. "Get in here, fools, we're startin' the meeting!"

With that Barret, with Marlene still on his shoulder, walked over to an old pinball machine at the far end of the bar. He pulled down the lever and the pinball machine suddenly began to move down through the floor to a secret room that was built underneath the bar, carrying Barret with it. One by one Jessie, Biggs and Wedge got up and followed him, jumping down through the hole to the hidden room.

"Cloud, were going downstairs." said Naruto as he and Gaara jumped down the hole.

The room looked like a storage space that had been converted into the base of operations for AVALANCHE. There was a big screen showing the explosion of the reactor. It seemed that a security camera had seen the whole thing. The reactor suddenly exploded, sending a large shockwave of energy hurtling through the air and across the city of Midgar. A ball of flames rose up into the air, followed by a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke. The smoke rose quickly into the air, blending into the dark land around it. Bits of metal from the exploded reactor fell out around the sector where it had been built, and down into the city below. No doubt the whole city heard the explosion, and the flames could be seen for miles around.

Naruto whistled, "That's a nice boom,"

"Thank you," said Jessie, "It was my bomb after all,"

"True," he replied to her but she had turned around to reprogram the unused bomb for the next mission.

Barret was knocking the crap out of a punching bag on the other side of the room but when he saw Naruto he asked, "How did you run up the wall? When we were getting out?"

"Well some of our memories have returned and we remember a bit of our training. You see everyone has two energies inside us. One is called Mind energy and the other one is Body energy. These two energies mix inside us to create chakra. At the moment, you only use chakra to live and cast magic from material. You see material is useless without a power source. This power source is your chakra. We have been trained in using our chakra in different ways. To be honest with you. If Shinra knew how to apply this power in other ways, you guys would be in a worse position then you are now.

The way we used our chakra at that time was pumping our chakra to out feet, effectively speeding up and running up walls." he explained.

Jessie turned around from her work and said, "So that ball of energy you created was..."

"Yes, it was chakra,"

"How else can you use this chakra?" asked Barret.

Naruto concentrated and then he said "Henge," and a puff of smoke enveloped him. When it cleared there was no Naruto. Except now there was a Shinra soldier with a tape deck on his shoulder. He pressed play and put it on the ground and started dancing very badly to the song 'Kung-fuu Fighting'. After a minute of doing this the soldier put his hands together and said "Kai," and the smoke enveloped him again. When it dissolved again there stood Naruto.

While this was happening all the non-shinobi were staring at him. They continued to do so for a while until they all started laughing so hard that Barret actually dropped to his knees and started thumping the ground with his hands.

When he had gained the mode of speech again he said, "That was fucking funny. Could you change into President Shinra and do it again?"

"Sure," agreed Naruto because if there was one thing he loved more than ramen, it was making people happy. "Can you show me a picture of him?"

Barret crossed to a darts board and pulled out the darts that were stuck in a picture of an old looking plump, man in a red suit.

"Here you go," he said.

Naruto looked at it for a few seconds before doing the same thing with his hands and said "Henge,". Now at that point Cloud decided to come down and saw the cloud of smoke dissolve into President Shinra.

"President! What are you doing here?" asked Cloud being very shocked.

"Ah, Cloud Strife. I remember you. I think. Come over here boy." said Naruto.

Cloud walked over to Naruto under the impression that it was the President he was walking to.

"So, how you been?" said Naruto.

"Uh, sir?"

"You're probably wondering why I am here. Truth is I wanted to apologies to AVALANCHE about my actions. So I came here to repent. Good sir," he addressed Barret who was currently willing himself not to laugh.

"Yes sir?" he said.

"I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do, anything."

"Spin around three times and act like a dog,"

Naruto then proceeded to do exactly that. When he started to act like a dog Cloud was then convinced that he had seen everything.

Barret's willpower finally crumbled and laughed so hard that he started rolling around the floor crying tears of laughter. Everyone started laughing hard. Even Gaara cracked a big smile. But what was really surprising is that Cloud was acting just like Barret.

Eventually Cloud got over his laughing fit and Looked at Naruto just as he put his hands together and said "Kai,". The smoke covered Naruto for a second and there was Naruto, with his big grin plastered all over his face.

Cloud was staring at him with bulging eyes and open mouth, and everyone started laughing again.

Naruto walked up to Cloud and said, "Barret wanted to know how else my power could be used and I showed him."

"Man Naruto, you really know how to crack someone up," said Jessie still wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Now that we have that sorted out," said Barret and he threw a bag of coins to Cloud. "There is your payment of 1000 gil."

"You got the next mission lined up? I'll do it for the same price." he said.

"Great! Well get some sleep everyone. Tomorrow is going to be a big day," Barret said.

"We will," everyone said as they all went to bed.


	10. Chapter 10: Tiny Holes and First Appeara

Chapter 10: Tiny Holes and First Appearances

**Chapter 10: Tiny Holes and First Appearances**

Naruto opened his eyes to see that he was in a field of flowers. A gentle breeze was softly ruffling his hair. He felt totally at peace when he turned his head to see Kyuubi sitting beside him.

She was this time dressed in a light blue kimono. Her soft looking red hair was rippling in the wind. She had a kind look on her face as she looked ahead of her. Naruto felt his heart beat faster as he looked at her. Suddenly she turned around to look at Naruto.

"You have a really nice mindscape," she said in a gentle voice.

"This is in my mind?" asked Naruto.

"Yes," the fox replied. "The only place I've seen is the sewers in your mind when I was still in you. I'm surprised that you have such a nice place to retreat to."

Naruto didn't say anything as he looked at her. For some reason his mouth wasn't working. 'I didn't even know I could retreat to here,' he thought.

"But I didn't bring you here to enjoy the view. We have some training to do."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm going to teach you some techniques," she explained.

She stood up and motioned for him to do the same.

"The first one is called the Rebirth no Jutsu," she said. "It's a handy technique that allows you to heal the target no matter how bad the wound is."

Naruto nodded, his mouth failing him again.

"Now the hand seals are different from the normal ones you use. These are the Heavenly Hand Seals."

She then proceeded to show Naruto the seals.

"This one is the Lion, Phoenix, Holy, Angel and Divine. The Heavenly Hand Seals are used in conjunction with the normal hand seals. The sequence is Divine, Phoenix and Dragon. I want you to practice the sequence until you can do it very well." she instructed.

For what seemed like an hour Naruto had memorized the sequence.

"Good job," Kyuubi congratulated. "Now its time you woke up,"

Naruto closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was in the dusty room again.

He swung his legs over the bed and checked his watch. It showed that it was 5:17 AM.

He saw that Cloud was up but Gaara was still sleeping.

'He must have gotten used to sleeping again.' thought Naruto.

He walked over to Cloud and said, "Morning Cloud,"

"Morning," he mumbled.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I think you should loosen up a little, not always be so cold." Naruto suggested.

"But aren't we supposed to be professionals?" he asked.

"Of course, but if you keep on going like this you're going to be a machine instead of a human being. When you laughed last night I was relieved that you were human enough to laugh. Smile every now and then and not be so cold."

"Ok, I'll try," he said.

"Oi, Sandy! Time to get up!" Naruto threw a pillow at Gaara who used his sand to encase it and crushed it in mid air.

"NOOOO!! You crushed my pillow!" yelled Naruto.

Gaara just smiled and said, "I told you I would get you back."

"Come on guys. We should go meet with Barret and the others in the bar," said Cloud who walked out with Gaara and Naruto.

Barret was going over the plan with the others when they walked in.

"Yo! You ready to go?" he asked Cloud and the ninja.

"Yeah," he said with the coldness almost gone in his voice. His tone startled almost everyone, especially Barret.

Jessie came up to them and handed a card to each of them. "These are your ID cards. They'll help you get passed the security on the train."

"Thanks," they each said as they got the cards.

Tifa walked forward and said, "I'm going this time,"

"Well let's go," said Barret and everyone filed out of the building and headed to the station.

On the way Tifa was looking at Cloud strangely. Naruto saw this and said, "What's wrong Tifa?"

She turned around and said, "Didn't Cloud used to be a little colder?"

"Yes but I persuaded him that it's better if he acts a little more happy,"

Tifa looked at Cloud again and noticed a small smile on his face.

"Well thank you," she said to Naruto.

Naruto nodded as they walked up to the platform. The others were already on the train so they wasted no time on boarding.

When they got on the train the other members of the group were lounging on the seats, already relaxing. Barret walked up to them, an angry look on his face.

"Yo!" he said. All at once the three members of AVALANCHE jumped up out of their seats and turned sharply to Barret.

"Looks like this ain't no private car!!" Barret observed. "So split up!!"

Jessie, Biggs and Wedge ran through the doors to the other carriages. Barret walked over to the middle of the car. The man in the red suit from yesterday was still there.

"...hoodlums again," he mumbled to himself. "God, don't I just have all the luck..." And then he sat himself on the seat.

Barret, who heard this, thumped up to the front of the car and stuck his head through the door; thinking it had come from the second car.

"You say sumthin'?" he growled angrily, looking around at the next car. He got no reply, so he raised his voice a little. "I said, 'you say sumthin'!?" Again there was no answer. He then ran back to the middle and turned to the suit. "Yo, look at that!! It got empty alluva sudden. What's goin' on?"

Slowly the suited man looked up at Barret. . "DAMN!!" he cursed loudly, realizing he had been caught. His voice began to stammer nervously. "I...its empty because of... g, guys like you..."

It was the wrong thing to say. Barret snarled angrily and hit the man hard on the head with his fist. The man shrunk back in his seat in fear, but did not move out of the way.

"Y, Y, YIPES!!" he said. "You... you've seen the news, right? AVALANCHE says there'll be more bombings. Only devoted employees like me would go to Midgar on a day like today."

"You workin' for Shinra?" he demanded.

Naruto then thought he was going a bit too far and started to walk towards him. Tifa had the same idea.

"I won't give in to violence..." the suit sobbed pitifully. "And I'm not giving you my seat either!"

Barret raised his fist once more as he prepared to hit the manager again, but Naruto stopped his arm.

"Barret!" Tifa yelled.

Barret looked at Tifa, before lowering his arm and turning to the Shinra Manager.

"Fuck!! You lucky SOB!" he cursed, and stormed off to the other end of the car where Cloud and Gaara was standing.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Cloud said now that the show was over with.

"Shit!" Barret said in frustration, waving his arms around. "The hell you so calm about? You bustin' up my rhythm..."

At that moment a loud whistle could be heard, and the car suddenly shook from side to side.

"Seems like they just finished connecting the cars," Tifa observed. "We're finally leaving."

The train jolted for the last time and started moving.

"So what's our next target?" Cloud asked once more, getting back to the subject of the mission.

"Hah! Listen to Mr. Serious-about-his-work!" Barret taunted mockingly, and Tifa rolled her eyes. Seeing the unimpressed looks everyone was giving him, Barret crossed his arms. "Awright... I'll tell ya! Jessie's probably already told you, but there's a security checkpoint at the top plate. It's an ID scan system checkin' all the trains."

"Which Shinra is very proud of," Tifa added.

Barret nodded. "We can't use our fake ID's anymore..." He stopped as the speaker above them crackled into life, and the cool female voice floated through the train.

"_Good Morning, and welcome to Midgar Lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 station will be 11:45."_

"That means we've only got three more minutes until the ID Check point," Tifa told Barret, who nodded in agreement. He turned to the four of them and clenched his one good fist.

"Alright," he said confidently. "In three minutes, we're jumpin' off this train. Got it!?"

He then crashed down onto a seat that happened to be right next to the suit. The poor guy was shaking violently but it seemed that Barret wasn't interested in him. Tifa ran to the tour monitor and motioned for Cloud to come over. Having nothing else to do he walked over. Naruto and Gaara sat themselves down in seats to relax.

Naruto then thought of something and asked his friend, "Gaara. Have you thought of a name for your weapon?"

Gaara turned around to answer. "Yes. Suna Mamoru (Sand Defender). You?"

"Sora Shinkiro (Heavens Mirage)."

"What made you think of that name?" asked Gaara.

"I don't know. It just feels right. What about you?"

"Well I control sand and I want to protect my friends and family."

"That makes sense." agreed Naruto. He suddenly had a great idea.

"Gaara. I just thought of something great. When I get home I'm going to start my own hidden village!"

Gaara was shocked to say the least. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't want others who are different from normal humans to be treated like dirt. No-one should suffer like we did. So I will start a ninja village that will accept demon containers, half-demons, anyone that has been shunned by their village because of something that they have no control over. Even people that have bloodline limits. Even certain…." He would have continued but suddenly a beeping sound echoed throughout the train.

"What the hell," wondered Naruto out loud and walked toward Tifa.

"That's odd," she said, bewildered. "The ID Check Point was supposed to be further down."

Moments later the beeping of the signal stopped. Just a second later the alarm went off – a loud, whirring siren that pierced the ears of the people in the car and made them jump in surprise. Barret leaped out of his chair and looked up as the speaker crackled once more, and the cool female voice spoke with a harsh and serious tone.

"_Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be executed! Repeat!! Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be executed!"_

"What's happening?" asked Tifa. Barret ran up to her.

"What's goin' on!!" he demanded, just as confused as she was.

The door to the car opened as Jessie ran in, her face pale with fear as she realized that somehow they had been caught out as unidentified passengers on the train.

"We're in trouble," she told them, stating the obvious. "I'll explain later. Hurry! Get to the next car!"

"Fuck" Barret cursed. He shook his fist angrily, while Cloud folded his arms in thought. "Someone blew it..."

"_Unidentified passengers located in Car #1. Preparing for Lock Down."_

Barret turned to his colleagues. "Let's go! Keep it up!" he ordered.

Jessie turned and ran out of the door, followed closely by Barret, Tifa, Naruto, Gaara and Cloud. The door shut right behind him.

"_Car #1 Locked Down. Upgrading to Level 2 Warning."_

Barret looked around the next car. Jessie was stood further down the car with Biggs and Wedge, who were also looking around fearfully for any sign of guards that could come looking for them.

"Hurry!" Biggs urged them.

"They're gonna lock the door, sir!" Wedge said. He and Biggs both turned and ran through the door into the third car, just as the speaker spoke up once again over the sound of the raging alarm.

"_Unidentified passengers located in Car #2. Preparing for Lock Down."_

"Crap!" exclaimed Naruto as he and the others ran through the second door.

"_Car #2 Locked Down. Upgrading to Warning Level 3."_

As they got through the siren and lights returned to normal.

"Awright! We clear?" he asked Jessie.

Unfortunately, Jessie shook her head. "Not yet," she confirmed. "They're starting another check. If we're caught, we're done for. But, don't worry. If we move up the train, car by car, we should get past it!"

As soon as she finished she ran through the third set of doors. The moment she disappeared the alarms and lights went off again, and once again everyone in the car jumped back in fright.

"_Unidentified passengers: Moving to Front of Train. Currently tracking location."_

"Aww man," complained Naruto as he and the others ran for the exit.

"_Car #3 Locked Down. Upgrading to Warning Level 4."_ They continued to run on, regardless of the warnings and into the last car. _"Car #4 Locked Down. Upgrading to maximum security alert!!"_

Now in the very last car of the train, Barret stopped and looked around desperately in search of Jessie and the other AVALANCHE members. He found them fairly quickly, but they had disguised themselves to avoid looking suspicious. Wedge was near the entrance, dressed in a dungarees and T- shirt. Biggs was close by, wearing a smart tuxedo suit and hat, with a fake moustache under his nose to hide the rest of his face. Jessie was standing near the front of the train by the car exit, clad in a full red Shinra guard uniform, which she had probably swiped from a guard who had tried to stop her. Barret ran down towards her, and turned back to the others.

"All right!! We made it! Yo!! This way!!" he called out to Naruto and the others.

As the group darted down towards him, Jessie turned to the large door that led out of the car and opened it with a lever. The air rushed into the car with a lot of force. The roar of the train echoing in the tunnel forced Barret to talk really loud.

"Let's go!!" he yelled. "We're gonna dive outta here!!"

Tifa glanced out of the door, before she turned to Cloud with an almost excited smile on her face.

"...Scary... huh."

"Too late to be saying that now," Cloud told her. He tilted his head to the side. "Why'd you come along anyway?"

Tifa turned away from Cloud, and gave him a sideways glance. "Because..." was her only answer.

"Hey you two!" Barret roared angrily at the two, who looked at him blankly. "There ain't no time for that!"

Hearing him Tifa walked towards the open door. She stood there, not moving, for a while. After a couple of seconds she nodded.

"Yeah!! I've made up my mind!" she said, sounding as confident as she could be. "Watch closely. I'm gonna jump!!"

They all watched as she stepped back a little and then jumped forward out of the door of the train. She disappeared the second she jumped out, lost in the blurry mess that was outside of the car.

Cloud pushed passed everyone and jumped out second. Gaara used his sand to levitate out of the train. Naruto was about to jump out but turned to Barret.

"You don't care if I go first?" he asked.

"A leader always stays till the end. Don't worry 'bout me, just go!" Naruto nodded and used chakra to jump from the train to the opposite wall. He stuck to the wall and started sliding sideways because he still hade momentum. He applied more chakra to his feet to slow himself down. He eventually stopped and walked down the wall to the floor. He looked at the wall to see a long dent in the metal from when he used chakra as his brakes.

"Wow, that's the strongest skid mark in history," Naruto mumbled to himself.

"**You got that right,"** said Kyuubi.

He heard something to his left and he looked to see Cloud, Tifa and Gaara walking towards him. They were looking at the huge dent and then to Naruto.

"How did you manage that?" asked Gaara.

"I used chakra as a brake." explained Naruto.

Cloud and Tifa, who never heard his explanation of chakra when they were at the hideout, were confused. They were just about to ask him when they heard Barret's voice.

"Yo! Everyone okay?" he asked.

They all nodded.

"Good," said Barret, after checking that his gun-arm was still intact. "So far everything's going as planned. Better not let your guard down till we get to the Sector 5 reactor. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie got everything ready for us. So MOVE it. Well, the reactor should be just down this tunnel!!"

Barret led the way down the tunnel in the same direction the train had been moving. The others followed.

While they were walking Kyuubi piped up inside his head.

**"Are you sure you want to do this?"**

'Do what?'

**"Start up your own ninja village."**

'Yeah.'

**"Well I think it's a good idea."**

'Really!?'

**"Why not? It would be a good haven for outcasts. Have you thought of a name?"**

'No. Not yet.'

"**Well you have plenty of time."**

'_Hey! Don't leave me out of this!'_

'Gaara?'

'_Would I be able to join?'_

Naruto thought about this. It would be great to have Gaara in the village, and yet….

'I don't think you should. Don't get me wrong, it would be great to have you but I think you should stay in your village. You have a second chance there. You also have your brother and sister.'

'_True. I think your reasoning is sound.'_

'Thanks. Why don't you aim for Kazekage and if you do we can sign a treaty.'

'_Sounds good.'_

"What the hell?"

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by Barret's voice. He looked ahead of him to see several beams of light stretching horizontally across the tunnel.

"These light beams are the Shinra's security sensors," Cloud explained as everyone turned to him for an explanation. "We can't go any further."

"Damn!" cursed Barret.

Naruto started looking around for another way. It seemed that Cloud had thought of the same thing. A couple of seconds searching and Cloud spotted a duct of sorts. He approached it and opened the hatch.

"That's one damn tiny hole," Barret observed, walking over to Cloud. "You tellin' me to squeeze into that to get under the plate? No way! Yo, Cloud, what're we gonna do?"

It was small and the shaft was also steep so if they went in it would be a one way trip. Naruto could see that at the end there was an open space.

"...There seems to be nothing that'll get us stuck in this vent," he said.

Cloud nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If we go down this duct, we won't be able to come back up here," he added gravely.

"Don't be wastin' time!" was Barret's angry reply. "Never know when the Shinra'll find us. Cloud, you jes' gotta go."

Cloud nodded. "Let's go down," he said.

They all nodded, but Barret still didn't look very comfortable with the decision.

"But, damn man," he groaned, looking at the tunnel. "That thing gives me the chills."

They all ignored his complaint and started sliding down the shaft. The second duct was bid enough for them to move around quite well. The exit was at the far end of the tunnel, and was simply a ladder leading deeper down into the bowls of the Midgar Underground. Cloud went first followed by Naruto, Gaara, Tifa and Barret.

The next level was the most poorly kept area. The smell of rust and oil was really strong. Naruto began to gag as he waved his hand in front of him. As soon as everyone was down they heard a whistling sound. They looked over to see Wedge.

"Cloud, this way!" Wedge called over to them, standing by another ladder. "The reactor's up this ladder."

As the five members approached him he quickly ushered them up the ladder towards the next level.

Jessie was on this next level, standing in a corner beside another air vent. She had her back turned to them as they climbed up, but as they approached she heard their footsteps and turned sharply. Her face was sad and full of regret, as though she had been really concerned over something, and was guilty about it.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to them sincerely. "The ID scan problem on the train was my entire fault." She looked at Naruto sadly. "I made your ID card special... So that's why it happened... I put my heart into making it. But I failed. Next time, I'll give you something more decent. I'll be back at the hideout in my research room workin' on it."

She then knelt down and picked up the bomb, passing it to Tifa for safekeeping. She then pointed over towards yet another ladder at the far end of the vent where she was standing. Clearly that was where they were meant to go next.

The group walked over to the ladder and climbed down. Biggs was waiting for them, by another ladder.

"We're gonna pull out now," he told them as they approached him. He seemed nervous. "We'll meet up at the hideout. Guys, we're countin' on you to blow the reactor!"

With that, Biggs turned and ran off towards the ladder leading to Jessie's section, where he quickly climbed up and disappeared.

They trouped over to the ladder that would lead them straight to the main reactor room. The room itself looked like the No. 1 reactor room. There were pipes leading to the ground from the platform they were on. There seemed to be very few guards.

"They could still be around," Barret pointed out to them, voicing their thoughts.

Barret sat on the pipe and pushed off. He started picking up speed as he got to the bottom. He almost fell flat on his face when his feet hit the ground. He motioned for the others to follow him. Cloud went next. Then Tifa. Gaara used his sand to teleport to where they were standing. Then Naruto slid down. His feet touched the ground but then he slipped which resulted in him falling hard on his bottom and sliding several meters.

"Ahh, fuck! That hurt!" he complained as everyone was sniggering at him.

They then walked through the door and went inside. The decent was exactly the same and they didn't run into anyone. And the reactor was right where they expected it to be, half embedded in the wall and standing in silence, completely unguarded.

As they approached, Cloud suddenly stopped and put his hands to his head, as if he were fighting a nasty headache. He then collapsed onto the walkway.

"Cloud!" Naruto and Tifa exclaimed. The both rushed to him and tried to wake him up. Nothing happened for a minute then he opened his eyes and sat up.

"You all right?" she asked him.

Cloud stared.

"...Tifa."

"Hmm?"

Cloud looked down again, and shook his head. "No... forget... Come on, let's hurry!"

He then stood up and looked at Barret.

"I know," Cloud sighed. "You're my watch, right?"

Barret nodded. "Damn straight," he said firmly. "Tifa's old friend... That ain't good enough."

He nodded and then walked over to Tifa who handed him the bomb. It was the one that they had saved from the cave in. It had an extra module on the side for the extra bang. Cloud then proceeded to put it in the exact same place as before and set it for 10 minuets again.

Once the bomb was in place, the group of five all turned and ran away from the reactor as fast as they could – heading out the way they came and following their planned route of the reactor chamber and back up towards the surface of Midgar. Without any guards stopping them they had more time to escape, which meant it wouldn't be a close call when the bomb finally exploded.

As they reached the top level they turned right across the path and into the chambers beyond. They ran into a room that contained two doors – one was open and the other was locked. Quickly they ran into the open room, which contained a series of glowing white panels.

The shinobi stood back and watched as the other three surrounded the panels.

"Jessie said we all have to push the button at once," Tifa said, remembering Jessie's words.

The two men nodded, and together they each stood by a panel. Each panel contained two of the glowing switches, and there were just enough of them to manage it. They counted together, and then each pressed down on the panels. A clicking sound could be heard, followed by the grating of the door in the next room as it unlocked and slid open.

The party ran out of the room and through the door that had just opened. After running out of that chamber they found themselves on another T-Junction corridor, just like the one before. Barret ran down to the end and looked down at either end of the corridor.

"This way!" he ordered.

The others nodded as he started for the right door. As he ran the door to the corridor opened and a number of Shinra soldiers walked in, their guns held up and ready to fire. Barret immediately stopped and backed off away from them, until he stopped beside Cloud and Tifa.

"Shinra soldiers!" he shouted, glaring at them. "SHIT! What the hell's goin' on?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"...a trap..."

"Oh great," said Naruto as he placed his hand on the handle of the sword. Gaara nodded as he rested his hand on his gun.

They heard the sound of footsteps, steadily approaching them from the way they had come out of the reactor. They all turned one by one to the reactor's entrance, and watched as a figure emerged from the shadows. Barret's jaw hung open as he saw who the figure was.

"Presi... President Shinra?"

'So that's him. He really reminds me of Gatou.' Naruto thought.

"Hmm... So you must all be that... ...what was it?" he said in a cold and heartless voice.

"AVALANCHE!" Barret roared, shaking his fists. "And don't ya forget it! And you're President Shinra, huh?"

Cloud stepped forward onto the path and faced the President. "Long time no see, President."

"...Long time no see?" President Shinra asked, sounding confused. He looked at Cloud closely, when he realized who he was. "Oh... you. You're the one who quit SOLDIER and joined AVALANCHE. I knew you'd been exposed to Mako, from the look in your eyes... Tell me, traitor... What was your name?"

"Cloud."

President Shinra nodded. "Forgive me for asking," he asked of Cloud. "But I can't be expected to remember each person's name. Unless you become another Sephiroth. Yes, Sephiroth... He was brilliant. Perhaps too brilliant..."

Cloud's body jerked at the mention of the name. He stepped back almost fearfully, and his face went as pale as a ghost.

"Sephiroth...?"

Barret ran forward and brushed rudely past Cloud. He ran halfway up and shook his fists at the Shinra President, his arrogance returning.

"Don't give a damn 'bout none of that!" he raged, trying to intimidate the president. "This place's goin' up with a big BANG soon! Serves y'all right!"

"And such a waste of good fireworks, just to get rid of vermin like you..." President Shinra replied calmly, not at all intimidated by Barret's angry tone.

Of course, Barret wasn't too pleased with the statement.

"VERMIN!?" he shouted furiously, looking ready to explode with his fury. "That's all you can say... VERMIN!" He took another step forward and pointed his gun-arm at the president. "Y'all Shinra're the VERMIN, killing the planet! And that makes you King VERMIN! So shu'up jackass!"

President Shinra arrogantly rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "...You are beginning to bore me," he said, his voice solemn. He then looked up at the group once more. "I'm a very busy man, so if you'll excuse me... I have a dinner I must attend."

"Dinner!? Don't give me that! I ain't even started wit' you yet!"

"But," the President added quickly. "I've made arrangements for a playmate for you all."

The president then clicked his fingers and Naruto heard a faint buzzing sound that was growing in intensity, and was heading towards them. Tifa looked up and glanced around the paths, trying to find the source of the buzzing.

"!? What's that noise?" she asked.

Barret ran back down onto the main path, brushing past Cloud once again, and ran over to Tifa. The door on the other side of the path was open, and the buzzing seemed to have been coming from there. Eventually, something began to emerge from the shadows.

"The hell is this!?" Barret demanded.

The source of the sound then emerged from the doorway and onto the path. It moved at such a speed that Tifa and Barret had to stand really close to the ends of the path to avoid being knocked off by its bulk. It then stopped in the middle of the path, separating Cloud from his friends.

It was a gigantic robot – another of Shinra's defensive weaponry. Unlike the Roboguard, which had been disadvantaged on the ground, this robot could hover a few feet off the ground. It was armed with a range of weaponry, from cannons to guns in its back and front. Its only disadvantage was that because it was so large and packed full of weaponry, it was hard for it to turn or move very quickly. The whirring sound came from its fast-moving blades that whirred beneath its bulk, keeping it hovering above the ground.

"Meet 'Airbuster'," the President introduced, waving a hand to the creation hovering in front of him. "A techno-soldier. Our Weapon Development Department created him. I'm sure the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use to us in future experiments."

Cloud stared at the robot in awe. "...Techno-soldier?"

The sound of more whirring blades could be heard as a helicopter rose up from the abyss beneath the paths, and hovered beside the President. The door opened, ready for the President to board.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me," the President said politely, giving a little bow to the group. He turned towards the helicopter.

"Wait, President!" Cloud called, running forwards towards the helicopter.

He was too late. The helicopter had already lowered itself and was letting President Shinra on board. Cloud could only stop and watch as the door to the helicopter was slammed shut, and the helicopter began to rise up away from them, flying off towards Shinra Headquarters once more.

"Yo, Cloud!" Barret called to Cloud. "We've gotta do somethin' 'bout him!"

The robot then advanced a bit on Naruto and the others. Cloud stood behind it and drew his sword. Naruto did the same, muttering, "When are they going to send something better for me to bust up?"

Gaara drew his gun as Can opener ver. 2 moved forward again.

"THIS is from SOLDIER?" Tifa shouted over the whirring of the blades.

"No way!" Cloud called back from the other side of the robot. "It's just a machine."

"I don't care what it is!!" Barret said. "I'm gonna bust him up!"

"Yeah!" yelled Naruto. "Lets sent this thing back to the scrap heap!"

Barret let out a short stream of bullets and they punched through the armor. The robot's eyes locked onto Barret before a pair of machine guns fired at him. He dodged just in time, clamoring on the walkway. Naruto focused some chakra into the Bolt materia and felt the electricity raging in his sword, making it glow blue. He ran up to the bot and thrust the sword into the robots chest. It jerked a bit as the electricity surged through the circuits. 'It wasn't enough to put it out of commission,' Naruto thought as he withdrew his sword. Cloud came in with a forward slash to the back, doing twice as much damage as it should have. The robot turned to face him and shot a couple of cannon balls at Cloud. He dodged them and called to Naruto.

"Naruto! It seems that hits to the back deals 2 times the damage."

"Thank you!" he called back as Barret was charging up a huge ball of energy before blasting it at the weak spot.

"Big Shot!" he announced as the robot shook violently.

"How original," said Tifa. She moved in and dealt a series of quick and strong punches to the damaged part of the robot. It tried to move to turn around but the system to turn it was currently on the ground in pieces. A couple of machine guns popped out of the back but Gaara shot several fire bullets thanks to his fire materia and they exploded onto the machine guns. When the smoke cleared the barrels had been completely bent out of shape. Naruto decided to end it and clipped his sword onto his back. He held out his hand, palm upwards. Blue energy started collecting there and before long there was a mini hurricane of energy in the palm of his hand. He rushed up to the soon to be obliterated piece of junk and slammed the ball right into the heart of the machine, but not before he yelled out…

"RASENGAN!!"

That did it. The damage was so devastating that the power started to overload. Naruto saw this as he jumped back. He was about to say "Get back!" but it decided to explode at that point. Naruto, Gaara, Barret and Tifa were all pushed back as the shockwave hit them. But it seemed that Fate, as Neji would say, dealt Cloud a bad card, for he was thrown up and when he came down he grabbed a broken pipe that was still attached to the walkway. For you see, a huge chunk was blasted away in the explosion. Tifa got up and ran to the edge, trying to reach.

"It's gonna blow!" Barret called from behind her. "Let's go, Tifa!"

"Barret!" she said pleadingly. "Can't you do something?"

Slowly Barret shook his head.

"Not a damn thing."

Tifa's eyes filled up and she turned back to Cloud. He was still dangling, trying hard not to lose his grip on the pipe. But he was failing fast, and his grip was slowly beginning to slacken.

"Cloud!" Tifa called down to him. "Please don't die! You can't die! There's still so much I want to tell you!"

Cloud didn't look up from the pipe. He was more focused on trying to maintain his grip on the pipe. "I know, Tifa..." was his only reply.

Tifa's eyes filled once more.

"Hey, you gonna be awright?" Barret shouted down over the edge.

"..." Cloud muttered silently. "You worry about yourselves. I'm all right, but take care of Tifa!"

"...Alright," said Barret. "Sorry 'bout all this."

"Stop talkin' like this is the end!" Cloud snapped.

Barret nodded. "Alright, then, later."

"Yeah later Cloud. See you at the bar." said Naruto who was cursing himself that he couldn't do anything. But he knew Cloud would be okay. There wasn't a reason but he just knew.

At that very moment a loud explosion occurred from deep within the reactor, and the whole area rumbled violently. Then, like an earthquake, the reactor exploded. Flames erupted from within it, beginning to fill the corridor. The force of the explosion shook the broken bridge, and Cloud finally lost his battle to keep his hold and began to fall down away from Tifa, who cried out in dismay as she watched Cloud fall away from her.

Barret reached out and grabbed hold of Tifa roughly, beginning to drag the girl away from the bridge before the flames could reach them. Tifa struggled hard and continued to reach for Cloud, but there was nothing she could do as Barret dragged her forcefully away, leaving Cloud to fall into the murky clouds of the slums below, where he disappeared from view completely.


	11. Chapter 11: I Have No Problems With That

**Chapter 11: I Have No Problems With That**

"C'mon! Lets go!" Barret yelled as Naruto and Gaara opened the door and flung themselves in. Naruto created a Kage Bushin and it dragged the other two in before they shut the door just as the place filled with flames.

They waited until the roaring sound died to a loud rumbling and crackling sound. Then they walked through the tunnel that would bring them to Sector 4 station. Tifa was crying silently and Naruto noticed.

"Hey, don't worry. Cloud will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, tear stains on her cheeks.

"I can't. I just know, somehow, that he's alright. I promise."

Tifa looked at his face and saw that it was completely brimming with confidence. She never saw someone so confident before.

"Ok," she said finally.

"Yo, we're out," Barret called to them.

The both looked to see the tunnel end and see outside. There was debris everywhere. Some pieces were the size of your hand, others the size of houses. It looked similar to Sector 1 after the reactor blew. Everyone was running around, some were trying to find someone; others were just running out of fear.

The group walked to the station and got on the train. Unknown to them a guy in a long overcoat and dark sunglasses followed them on. The train suddenly jerked and started to move.

Naruto, Tifa, Barret and Gaara were sitting on the seats, not saying anything. What was there to say? So instead Naruto and Gaara started a mental conversation.

'Hey Gaara,'

_'Yeah,'_

'I wonder if Cloud is really alright,'

_'Maybe. Who knows?'_

**'He's alright.' **Kyuubi said.

'How can you tell?' asked Naruto.

**'I can sense him. Everyone sends out a unique signal. That signal we can pick up. He's currently unconscious.'**

'Well that's good,' Naruto sighed mentally.

The rest of the ride was uneventful.

The train started slowing down at Sector 7 station and finally stopped. The doors opened and the group walked out, still not noticing the trailer behind them.

Naruto suddenly brought his hands in a cross seal and whispered "Kage Bushin no Jutsu," The copy appeared on top of the piles of garbage and the real one used the Replacement jutsu and switched with his clone. Gaara noticed this and his hand rested lightly on his weapon. The real one jumped silently behind the person that was trailing them and using his training, knocked the person out. He then proceeded to heft him over his shoulder and caught up with the others.

Barret turned around to see two Naruto's with him. He was about to yell out when one of them poofed into smoke. He saw the person slumped over the real one's back. Naruto shook his head.

"Not now." he said simply.

Tifa turned at the sound and saw Naruto caring a stranger and Naruto repeated what he said to Barret. They both nodded and proceeded to the bar.

As soon as they walked in Naruto sat the stranger down and asked to Tifa, "Can I get a glass of water to wake him up?"

She complied and handed him a bear mug full of water. Naruto then splashed the water onto the man and he woke with a start.

"Where an I?" he spluttered before Naruto said, "You don't need to know. But I am interested to know why you were tailing us?"

"What!" exclaimed Barret and Tifa. They didn't see anything.

"That's right. He was trailing us since Sector 4 station." added Gaara.

"Whatever you do to me, I won't tell you anything." the captor said his face smug.

"Why you little…!" bellowed Barret as he raised his gun arm to point it at the man.

Naruto brought his hand up and quickly said, "Stop Barret. We need him alive. Let us handle this." Reluctantly he lowered his arm.

He looked at Gaara and asked him, "Do you know any genjutsu?"

He shook his head.

"Oh well," he said. He then closed his eyes.

'Kyuubi? I need a hand. I need to use genjutsu for information gathering. Can you help me out?'

'**Information gathering? That's a new phrase for interrogation. I do have a jutsu but it's a Hell Jutsu. It uses Hell hand seals. I'll teach you the seals some other time so let me borrow your body for a bit and I'll perform the jutsu.'**

'Ok,'

Naruto grasped the handle of the sword and then a huge surge flowed through his body. He then unwrapped his hand from the hilt and then proceeded with the jutsu. The voice that came from him sounded like it had a demonic undertone to it.

"**Dark Interrogation Jutsu,"**

The man suddenly screamed, scaring Barret and Tifa.

"**Now, why were you tailing us?" **Naruto asked.

"I was hired to find the location of where the man with the gun arm was." the man whimpered, his eyes wide and terrified.

"**Who were you hired by?"**

"T-t-t-t-the Don Corneo," he squeaked.

"**Who is he?"**

"The Don oversees the Sector 6 slums. His mansion is at the back of Wall Market," replied Barret. "Word is he's going to settle down and have a wife so for the past week he's been picking 4 young girls from the Honey Bee Inn and has them delivered to the mansion."

"So the only way to get in is to…" said Tifa.

"**Yeah,"**

Naruto muttered "Kai," and broke the illusion. He grasped the handle and felt Kyuubi transfer to the sword again.

"Well I'll go in," said Naruto. "I can change into one of the girls."

"I'll be one of them," said Tifa.

"Are you sure?" asked Barret. "You do know what sort of place it is, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Besides, I'll have Naruto with me."

"Ok. Naruto?" said Barret.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Can you create a clone and send it to the inn to register the two of you?"

"Sure. I'll need directions to find it."

"Not to worry. I'll give you a map to the inn," said Jessie who just got back.

"Now they'll need to see who their enlisting so we need to take a photo of each of you." said Barret.

"I'll take care of that too," replied Jessie.

"Ok. Tifa, you and Naruto get your photo taken."

"Follow me," beckoned Jessie.

They followed Jessie to a back room. Tifa had her photo taken first. Naruto used Sexy no Jutsu to change into a beautiful, long haired blond with big, puppy dog eyes that was dressed in a normal orange t-shirt and matching skirt. Then Naruto got his photo taken and he changed back.

Jessie handed him the map and they all walked out to hear what Barret had to say.

"Naruto. After your clone has finished with the business with the inn, get it to buy dresses from the local clothes store." he stated.

"I want a dress that is purple and looks the part for where we want to go." asked Tifa.

"Got it. Kage Bushin no Jutsu," spoke Naruto.

The clone appeared and looked at Naruto.

"You know what to do," he said.

The clone nodded and took the photos and the map. Then it walked out of the bar and started running to Sector 6.

"Now we wait," said Barret and with that he sat down on one of the stools.

"I'm going to do a little practicing," said Naruto. He walked out to the back garden. He took out his phone and started exploring.

"Lets see, what else can my phone do?"

"**Press the menu button,"** supplied Kyuubi.

Naruto did so and saw lots of options. There was Phone, Camera, Music, GPS, Torch, EmT and something called HeavenNet.

"What's HeavenNet?" he wondered.

"**It's a huge hub network of information. You can download lots of things from videos to music, games, and information on anything," **replied the fox.

"Ok. What's EmT?"

"**EmT stands for Emergency Transport. So if something irreversibly nasty happens, just press that and you transport back to HQ."**

"Ok. Hmmm, music," he wondered and pressed on it. Instantly there was a long line of… well lines on the screen. He started scrolling down and stopped on a file that said "Hero's Come Back!!" He clicked on it and a new screen opened up with new information and more options on it.

"Ok Kyuubi, care to explain."

"**Well you just clicked on a music file for a song. When you did it opened up the info on the song and whether to play it in party mode or personal mode. The first line of information says the name of the song. The second line says the artist. The option "Party Mode" is for if you want everyone in the range of 20 meters radius to listen to the music. "Personal" is for you only and no-one else will hear the music."**

"Ok, so I just press this button here…"

Naruto selected the personal option and suddenly he heard a set of drums followed by a great tune. Naruto felt like he was going to start dancing to this tune. He then realized his feet were tapping to the beat already. He sent a wave of chakra to the sword and he was enveloped in smoke. When it cleared Kyuubi was standing. Naruto selected the Party button and then the song blasted out of the phone. It sounded like the music was coming from a pair of big speakers. Naruto then took Kyuubi's hand and started dancing with her. Then Gaara came out and joined in. He also sent enough chakra to the gun to bring out Nibi. They all started dancing to the song. They listened to the song twice then Naruto closed the phone, stopping the music.

"That was a great song!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Yes. The song made me feel good," agreed Gaara.

"Well we'll have to do this again," said Kyuubi, not realizing that she was still holding hands with Naruto.

Nibi, having already noticed this, was trying hard not to laugh, failing miserably.

"What's wrong?" asked Kyuubi.

"I think she's laughing because you two look great together," said Gaara with an amused look on his face.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

Nibi just pointed to their hands with a huge grin on her face.

The two looked down and upon realizing, unclasped their hands and turned away from each other, their faces glowing red.

"Um…well…you see…uhh," they both stammered.

Nibi cracked up again. Gaara just smirked at them.

Kyuubi decided to change back into the sword at that moment.

"_**Why am I feeling this way?" **_she thought.

Naruto didn't think because she would hear his thoughts.

Nibi changed back into the gun and the shinobi walked back inside the bar.

The clone was sitting on one of the stools.

"I'm done. You guys are in," it said.

"Great," said Naruto as it poofed out of existence.

"Where's Tifa?" asked Gaara.

"She's trying on her new dress," answered Barret.

Just then the back door opened and Tifa walked in. She was dressed in a purple dress with a _very_ short skirt. The front was cut very low and showed a lot. She had a gold chain tying her hair at the bottom. She also wore amethyst earrings.

Naruto quickly pinched his nose shut. Gaara did the same.

"I guess you like the color purple then," Naruto commented.

Gaara just nodded his head.

Tifa had an uncomfortable look on her face. Apparently she wasn't used to wearing these kinds of clothes. She looked at the ninja and said, "Well, what do you think?"

Using the other hand, Naruto gave her thumbs up. Gaara nodded again.

Tifa let herself smile a little. It was funny that Naruto and Gaara looked like that. Barret on the other hand looked like this was normal. He had a straight face on. But if one was to look very closely, they would see a miniscule drop of blood dribbling out of his nose. But since his skin was so dark it hardly showed up and so Tifa missed it.

"Well I'm going to change out of this and go to sleep." she said. And with that she walked out of the room.

The shinobi let go of their noses and sighed heavily. Naruto then remembered the information of when the Honey Bee Inn was going to pick them up.

"Barret. We need to be ready at 4:00 am. That's when the carriage that they'll send will be here."

"Ok. We better get to sleep early then." Barret said. He then stomped off to his room. Naruto and Gaara walked over to their beds and went to sleep.

AN: This is the first time anyone has written about what happened while Cloud was with Aries. At least, none that I know about. And to explain the little party, I thought it would be good to put in a little relaxation time. It won't happen often. Thank you all for the reviews so far. Keep writing them. Tell your friends to review my work. Thank you to DivineEmperor for great reviews.


	12. Chapter 12: I knew this would be useful

**Chapter 12: "I knew this would be useful"**

Naruto softly noticed that he was in his mindscape again. He could feel the grass under his body. He felt the breeze; cool on his face and ruffling his hair. He opened his eyes and sat up, noticing that he was only wearing a black t-shirt with the orange Uzumaki swirl on the front and white 3/4 length pants.

He looked around him to find Kyuubi sleeping next to him. Naruto looked at her, simply in awe. He was tempted to reach out and stroke her tails. He was surprised when he did. He jerked his hand away, hoping that he didn't wake her. When she didn't stir he reached out and felt one of her tails. It was really soft and silky, as if it was washed regularly. Suddenly the humanoid fox started purring. Naruto was in the middle of wondering how the hell a fox was purring when Kyuubi snuggled closer to him, her arm wrapping around his waist and pulled even closer. Naruto stiffened strait away. And in more than one way. He started thinking about Kyuubi in a certain way.

_'Damn Ero-sennin and his perverted ideas, or is this happening because I'm 20 now. Is it something that happens when you're this age. What's happening?'_

His thoughts were pulled short as he herd the fox mumble something. He listened for more.

"Naruto… don't…leave me….alone…..please,"

He was shocked to say the least. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He felt a tug in his heart and wanted to hug the kitsune, to comfort her. Instead he started to shake her awake.

"Kyuubi-chan. Kyuubi-chan! Wait. Why am I calling her chan?" he asked himself. He wasn't dense like a lot of people thought. He knew that Hinata liked him a lot. The only reason that he acted that dense was that the villagers didn't get any ideas and started calling her 'Demon lover'. He didn't want that for any of them. So he kept his distance and pretended to peruse Sakara instead. He did like the girl and he was really saddened by her slap but he never loved the girl. It was all just a front. Thinking about this made him extremely lonely and he realized that Kyuubi was the only person who truly knew him.

So instead of waking her, he just lay down beside her and held her hand. She calmed down and a faint smile appeared on her face. Naruto then fell asleep again.

* * *

Naruto woke to the sound of loud knocking and calling.

"Guys? You gotta get up. The carriage comes in 30 minuets,"

Naruto forced himself off the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Gaara was already up, waiting for Naruto.

Naruto started stretching, making sure that all his muscles were not going to get any cramp. He then walked out of the room, Gaara following.

They arrived in the main room. Tifa was already ready. Barret was tapping his foot as usual when he was waiting. They both looked up when they entered.

"'Bout time. You have 20 minuets to get ready," said Barret.

"No worries," said Naruto and he unclipped his sword and laid it on the table. Then he brought his hands in a ram seal and said, "Henge!"

A cloud of smoke enveloped him and when it cleared there stood a girl with long black hair done up in a bun at the back. She wore a long black dress with a gold trim. The skirt had a long split that went all the way to her hip on the left side. Her eyes were ruby red. The whiskers were gone. She was truly a thing of beauty.

"There we go," said Naruto in a light, feminine voice.

Everyone was staring at her. As if someone had stopped time. Gaara was the first to compose himself, reminding himself that this was a boy. Barret was next, followed by Tifa who looked a little jealous.

"Well, now we wait for the carriage. Only 10 minuets," said Barret.

Naruto realized that there was no way for him to bring his sword with them and so he asked Kyuubi if there was anyway he could summon it.

"**Yes there is a permanent technique you can use. It's called the Item Summoner. After the technique is used on you all you have to do is think of the item appearing in your hand and it will appear."**

'Cool, what are the seals?'

"**I'll slip into your body for this. Ok?"**

'Ok.'

Naruto gripped his sword hilt and felt Kyuubi take over. She did a couple of hand seals and then placed his hands on the blade. The sword glowed for a couple of seconds and then disappeared. Kyuubi then thought of the sword and it appeared in his right hand in a flash. (Think when Sora summons the Keyblade)

Kyuubi slipped out of Naruto and back into the sword.

"**I'll still be able to talk to you when you're not holding the sword. When you want to put the sword away, just think of the sword disappearing from you."**

Naruto tried it out. He thought of the sword disappearing from his hand and it did. He then thought of it appearing in his right hand and it did. He put it away and looked to Tifa.

"Why don't we wait outside," suggested Naruto.

"Ok," replied Tifa.

"By the way. If anyone asks, my names Naruko, ok?" Naruto reminded Tifa. She nodded as they waited outside.

It wasn't long before the carriage pulled up beside the bar. There were two chocobos pulling it. The driver looked over to the two girls and whistled softly.

"Man you two are really hot. Well get in," he said. Naruto and Tifa hopped in the carriage and sat in the back so they were looking out of the back. The driver nudged the chocobos and they set off. They passed the weapons shop and headed through the gate that separated Sector 7 from 6.

On the other side of the gate they saw a nice little playground. There were a couple of old slides and swings, and even a half empty sandpit near the entrance. But everything was in disrepair. There was nothing surprising about all this until they both saw someone they recognized. For Tifa it was Cloud, sitting on the top of a slide. Naruto also saw Cloud but he also saw the flower-girl he saw after the Sector 1 mission. They both waved at Cloud who had a shocked expression on his face; probably due to Tifa's suggestive outfit. The girl however was looking between Cloud and them, as if a little confused.

There was no time to reminisce however as the carriage went through another gate towards Wall Market.

"See! I told you he would be alright," said Naruto.

"Yes you did, but who was the girl?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later when we have a little more privacy," suggested the black haired, red eyed, busty woman.

Tifa nodded as they came to a stop outside a mass of lights and a unique sent that Naruto had not smelt before that was wafting out of the building. It wasn't a pleasant smell.

"Okay you girls. Out you come," said the driver.

The two complied and climbed out of the trailer. The mass of lights happened to be a large building with the words "Honey Bee Inn" in neon lights over the entrance. The manager walked out of the inn and as soon as he saw the girls he smiled.

"You must be the new girls. Right now though you have to go the Don Corneo for an interview. One of you will be selected for the night and then you guys come back to work here if the Don is pleased. So if you would just follow me round the back I'll take you straight there."

The two followed the man round the back and walked for a couple of minuets until they reached a mansion. There was a guard at the front door, looking board. He caught sight of the manager and said, "Hello, you come to drop off the newbie's?"

"Yes. These are the ones," he said, motioning to the girls. The guard's eyes widened and said, "Wow, their really hot. The Don will be pleased tonight."

"Well I'll be going now," said the manager and he walked back the way they came.

"Come on through girls," motioned the guard and Naruto and Tifa walked through.

The inside of the mansion was just as they expected it to be considering the kind of place it was. It was very elaborately decorated, with red carpets covering the floors and smooth wood on the stairs. There was a desk for people to make appointments on the ground floor, while upstairs there were the more 'private' rooms. There was one small door at the top of the stairs, while at the other end of the balcony there was a doorway with no door, probably leading down into some kind of wine cellar. The largest door was in the middle of the upper level, and was a set of double doors that were intricately patterned. No doubt that was the room of Don Corneo himself, and most likely contained his private chambers. As the two entered an assistant walked out of a back room behind the desk, and grinned as he saw Naruto and Tifa standing in front of him, waiting.

"Hey, ladies," he said cheerfully and cunningly. Naruto and Tifa turned to him and walked up to the desk. The assistant looked at them for a moment, seeming satisfied. "I'll go and let the Don know you're here. Wait here. Don't go wandering around..."

He turned and headed off into the back room, going to tell the 'Don' that there were two more ladies waiting to see him. Once he was out of view, Naruto turned to Tifa.

"Let's go to the room on the left at the top of the stairs," he suggested. Tifa nodded and they walked up the stairs and along the balcony to the doorway.

On the other side was a flight of stairs leading down to a stone room. They walked down and looked in.

The room was not a wine cellar as he expected, but rather another 'private' room, and clearly for the use of those with their own personal tastes. Right in the centre of the room there was an altar of sorts, with handcuffs positioned in places where the wrists and ankles would go. Naruto looked a little sick as he saw it, for he was getting a better image of what Don Corneo was like, and he didn't like it at all. He wondered if Orochimaru was like this. He stomped on this thought very strongly as he didn't want to think about what _that_ implied.

"So who was that girl?" asked Tifa.

"At the end of the first mission we all separated. Cloud, Gaara and I were walking to the station. Everyone around us was running all over the place. Except one person. It was the same person we saw with Cloud. She was apparently selling flowers. Someone barged into her, knocking her down. Didn't even bother to say sorry. We were watching this and as she picked herself up she caught us looking at her. She asked us what was going on and Cloud looked like he didn't know what to say so I said that we were minding our business when the reactor blew. Then Cloud commented on not seeing many flowers around and she asked if we wanted to buy some. We did and then we advised her that she should move from this area. Then we went on our separate ways."

"I see. They must have met after the fall," Tifa wondered out loud.

Naruto nodded. He wondered what he was doing now. Then all of a sudden he felt a tingling in his eyes. As if it was being charged by electricity very, very softly. Then as fast as it came, it disappeared.

'What was that?' he thought.

"**I don't know. The only thing I can think of is…..maybe not,"**

'What! What are you talking about?'

"**Never mind. I think it was just a passing thing."**

Naruto was going to continue but thought better of it. He didn't feel like pissing off someone who was insanely stronger than him. Instead he looked at his watch and noticed a button saying "SCAN".

'Kyuubi? What's this?" he asked.

"**That's a useful little device that does a full scan of someone. It detects how strong they are, how much chakra they have. What it's called. All sorts of useful info on the target."**

'How do I activate it?'

"**Simple. Just point your hand in the direction of the target, making sure your hand is facing down and press the button."**

Naruto pointed it at Tifa and pressed the button and the watch opened up the disk. Images flashed onto the disk, showing a picture of Tifa and info on her age, height, strength, chakra, weapon, everything useful.

'Wow,' commented Naruto before deactivating it.

They had only been waiting for 10 minuets when the herd something at the top of the stairs. 'Probably more girls,' Naruto thought.

The speaking stopped and then they heard two people walking down the stone steps. Naruto quickly flattened himself up to the wall that was on the same side as the stairs.

The first person that walked through was a long haired brunet, wearing a long red silk dress with a slim shape that shimmered in the faint light.

She looked at Tifa, then back up the stairs, not noticing Naruto in the shadows. She looked back at Tifa and then walked up to her.

"...Tifa?" she asked. Tifa nodded and walked over to the girl, who smiled gladly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aeris. Cloud's told me a lot about you."

Naruto then walked out of the shadows and said, "The flower girl?"

"Yes," she said, turning to Naruto. "But who are you? Not many people call me that."

"Oh, of course. You don't recognize me. This should help," He then summoned his sword and held it out to Aeris. She was freaking out and the other person busted through the door. She skidded to a stop in front of Naruto and was just about to slug him when Tifa held her back. In the mean time Naruto showed the flower that was tied to the handle. A look of recognition flashed on her face as she said, "That's one of the flowers that I gave to Cloud and his friends. But how did you get it?" she asked.

"I can explain but for the moment just trust me that I can shift gender. Ok?"

She looked totally doubtful.

"Ok, looks like I'll have to change back," Naruto mumbled before bringing his hands into a ram seal and muttered "Kai," He was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and when it cleared there was Naruto in his normal form.

"Believe me now?" he asked.

Aeris nodded slowly, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. The other girl in a purple soft looking dress also had a look of recognition on her face. Naruto took one good looked and started laughing his head off.

Realizing something the girl turned away from them both and ran to the corner.

Realizing this Naruto controlled his laugh and said, "Oh come on. I'm sorry but I didn't think you would actually do this Cloud."

Tifa looked at Naruto as if he had grown another head.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"That's Cloud," Naruto insisted.

Aeris was giggling as she said, "Embarrassed?" before erupted in giggles again.

Finally Cloud sighed and turned, walking with his head down and stopping in front of Tifa. The girl leaned over to look at his face more closely, for she just saw him as another girl. But as she looked into his face she could see his familiar features, and his glowing blue eyes. She immediately jumped back in complete surprise and amazement.

"Cloud!" she exclaimed loudly. "Why are you dressed like that! And what are you doing here! Forget that, what happened to you after the fall! Are you hurt!"

"Hey, calm down. Give the guy a chance to speak," said Naruto. Cloud looked at him, a silent thank you in his eyes before turning to Tifa again.

"I'm dressed like this... because there was no other way to get in here. I'm all right. Aeris helped me out." he explained.

"Oh, Aeris did..." she said, sounding sad and disappointed.

"Tifa, explain," he asked her. "What are you and Naruto doing in a place like this?"

They all looked at Aeris who said, "I'll just plug my ears," and walked to the corner on the other side.

"Well when we left for the station we were followed, though I didn't know. Naruto caught him and knocked him unconscious. We dragged him back to the bar and Naruto used some weird magic to ask what he knew. He said that he was supposed to find a guy with a gun arm and follow him to his home. The person who ordered him to do so was Don Corneo. So I decided to find out myself and Naruto came to make sure nothing happened."

"I see," said Cloud.

"But now were in a bind. The Don is looking for 4 girls and then he picks one and does…..and does…." she couldn't finish the sentence without her face exploding from blushing so much. "Anyway, I have to be the girl or I'm out for tonight."

Aeris looked up. "Sorry..." she apologized. "But I overheard."

"Bullshit," said Naruto. "I was watching you from the corner of my eye."

Aeris shot him a withering glare to which Naruto responded with a shrug.

"If you know the four girls, then there's no problem, right?"

"I guess so, but..." Tifa said hesitantly.

"We have three here, right?"

"No, Aeris!" Cloud exclaimed suddenly. Aeris looked at him. "I can't have you get involved." Aeris put her hands on her hips and glared at Cloud.

"Oh?" she asked him shrewdly. "So it's all right for Tifa to be in danger?"

That caught Cloud out. "No, I don't want Tifa in..." he stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Naruto was snorting like mad until he got under control. "Don't worry. I'll guarantee that I'll be the one to go."

"Oh yeah? How's that going to happen. You can't act like a woman." said Aeris smugly.

Naruto just smiled before using his Sexy no Jutsu (with clothes on) and did exactly the same thing he did to Jiraiya when he wanted him to train him before the 3rd Test in the Chunnin Exam. (AN: If you don't know what that looks like, watch Naruto Ep. 53 to see)

Everyone looked at him/her. Cloud was blushing like mad. Tifa looked like she would glomp him because he/she looked so cute.

And Aeris? Well she looked a little impressed.

Naruto looked serious again and Tifa looked at Aeris.

"Is it all right?" she asked Aeris. She and Aeris both walked slowly towards the stairs and out of Cloud's earshot, to make their conversation a little more private. Tifa wanted Aeris's personal opinion.

"I grew up in the slums..." said Aeris. "I'm used to danger." She turned to Tifa and looked at her closely. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Tifa replied without any hesitation. "Thanks, Ms. Aeris."

Aeris smiled. "Call me Aeris."

"Well, that's settled but since we're all here, why don't I bust down all the doors at the right time. No-one has to face him alone. I'll give the signal and you guys take out any guards. I'll go for the Don. OK?"

They all nodded except for Aeris.

"What can you do that we can't?" she asked.

"Many things," Naruto said simply.

"Trust him," said Cloud.

Aeris still looked doubtful but nodded anyways.

"He-y!" came an angry voice from upstairs. Everyone in the cellar turned and looked at the top of the stairs to where Corneo's assistant was standing and glaring down at them. "It's time, ladies. The Don is waiting." He turned and began to walk off, muttering loudly. "I told you not to wander around... I tell ya, women nowadays... Hurry up, will ya!"

The four headed back upstairs and saw the assistant standing by the entrance to Don Corneo's chamber. He grinned slyly as they walked up, and pointed to the closed door.

"The Don's waiting in his room..." the assistant said, his grin wide on his face. "Ha ha ha..." The door opened in front of them, and Naruto, Cloud and the two girls walked into Don Corneo's chamber.

The inside of Corneo's personal chamber was just as they had expected it to be. Expensive items lined the walls and the floor was lined in a thick red carpet. At the far end of the room there was a desk covered in papers, with two hired guards standing on either side. Like everyone else in the mansion the hired guards were merely punks, inhabitants of the slums who had luckily managed to get a job working for Corneo.

Don Corneo himself was sitting behind the desk with his eyes shut. He was very fat and very unattractive. He wore a red cape and had a cheap tin crown.

Naruto followed the others and lined up in front of the desk and looked down the line and nodded to them to get ready. They nodded back.

"NOW!" he yelled and he brought his hands to a tora seal and said "Kai!" The room filled with smoke as Cloud ripped off his skirt and wig to revel that he was wearing his normal clothes. Aeris threw Clouds Buster sword to him. How she hid it remained a mystery. Tifa got rid of her top layer of clothes as did Aeris and soon all of them were in their normal clothes.

A loud yell of "Kage Bushin no Jutsu" and 7 Naruto's flew out of the smoke and knocked out the guards while the original went fore the Don. Corneo scuttled back into his room as Naruto, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris walked menacingly towards him. He jumped on top of the big bed in the middle of the room. The four lined up beside the bed.

"Wh... What the hell's going on?"

"Shut up!" Tifa ordered harshly. "We're asking the questions now..."

She and her crew all gathered around the side of Corneo's bed, cornering him into the corner of his own bedchamber. Corneo flinched back and shrunk into the corner, afraid of the three who had trapped him. Tifa stood firmly with her hands on her hips, glaring at Corneo.

"What did your assistants find out?" Tifa asked of Corneo, who shook his head. "Talk! If you don't tell us..." She glanced at Cloud.

Cloud nodded and stepped up to the bed. Sinisterly he put on foot on the bed and rested his arm on his knee, looking at Corneo in such a way that made him feel very uncomfortable. Cloud then grinned slyly.

"...I'll chop them off," he said, finishing Tifa's threat.

The Don's eyes opened wide as he saw Cloud's sword move into position. Just in front of a very vulnerable spot.

He jumped up in fear, shaking his head vigorously.

"No! Not that!" he pleaded fearfully.

"So... talk," said Tifa.

He stuttered nervously as he spoke. "...I made 'em find out where the man with the gun-arm was," he stammered, his whole body shaking. "But that's what I was ordered to do."

Tifa tilted her head. "By who?"

"No-!" Corneo yelled; his face pale and shivering. "If I told you that, I'd be killed!"

"Talk!" demanded Tifa. "If you don't tell us..." she glanced at Aeris, who, the same as Cloud, leaned forward menacingly on the end of Corneo's bed.

"...I'll rip them off," Aeris finished.

Again Corneo jumped back, feeling more afraid than ever. "Waaaaaaaaaaah-!" he wailed. "It was Heidegger of Shinra! Heidegger the head of Public Safety Maintenance!"

"The head of Public Safety Maintenance!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Who's he?" asked Naruto.

"Heidegger is the head of Public Safety Maintenance. He also controls the ShinRa army. He has this very annoying laugh, and is as cold as the president himself," explained Cloud.

Tifa nodded. She then turned to the Don. "What are the up to! Talk! If you don't tell us..." She joined Cloud and Aeris in their dominating stance on the bed, and grinned evilly. "...I'll smash them."

"...You're serious, aren't you..." he swallowed. The faces of everyone staring at him didn't change from being deadly serious. "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy..." He took a deep breath and looked up at the three. "I'm not fooling around here either, you know," he added. "Shinra's trying to crush a small rebel group called AVALANCHE and want to infiltrate their hideout. And they're going to crush them... literally. By breaking the support holding up the plate above them."

Tifa jerked violently. "Break the support!" she cried.

"You know what's going to happen?" asked Corneo, relaxing a little. "The plate'll go PING and everything's gonna go BAMM! I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 slums... I'm just glad it's not here in Sector 6."

Tifa stepped back away from the bed, one hand over her mouth in shock as she found herself unable to believe what she was hearing.

"They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 slums!" she exclaimed. She turned to Cloud, her face desperate. "Cloud, Naruto. Will you come with me to Sector 7?"

"Of course we will," said Naruto with a smile on his face. Cloud nodded. He knew ShinRa were ruthless but this was too far.

Tifa smiled with relief. She looked at Aeris, who also nodded. The three then headed for the door to head for Sector 7, but as they began to leave Corneo jumped up on his bed.

"Just a second!" he called.

Cloud stopped and turned back to him. "Shut up!"

"No, wait, it'll only take a second," Corneo insisted.

Cloud looked at Aeris and Tifa. He then sighed and looked back at Corneo, his hands on his hips as he waited for Corneo's next lame speech.

"How do you think scum like me feels when they babble on about the truth?" Corneo asked.

Naruto saw him inch to a bell pull next to the bed. In a flash he summoned his sword in mid swing and cut the bell pull in half making it impossible for the Don to pull it. He wailed as the rope fell down in front of him.

Cloud smiled and answered, "Because the stupid ones always _think_ they can get away with it." With that they all ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the building towards Sector 7.


	13. Chapter 13: A Lost Bloodline Revived

**Chapter 13: A Lost Bloodline Revived**

Naruto was in the lead with Cloud, Tifa and Aeris behind him. He suddenly felt that prickling sensation in his eyes again. He didn't know what was happening to him but he knew now was not the time. He then heard his phone go off. He reached into the pocket of his coat and drew it out. He flicked it open and pressed the button for speaker phone.

"Hello?" he spoke into the mic.

"Hey, it's me. Gaara. You got to get here now. ShinRa soldiers just barged into the compound surrounding the pillar and are going up it. We're doing all that we can but more keep coming. We need you and Tifa here now. We don't know what's going on."

"We do. Apparently they want to snuff out AVALANCHE and are resorting to bringing that section of the plate down onto the sector. You gotta evacuate everyone now." said Naruto earnestly.

"Can't do that. We're committed to defending the pillar and I don't know Kage Bushin like you so you'll have to take care of that. Sorry," he apologized.

"It's alright. I'll do that and us four'll come back you up."

"Four?" BANG

"What was that?" asked Naruto.

"Sorry. Some soldier thought it was smart to break rank and charge me. He's now got a mouth full of lead. As I was saying, four?"

"Oh yeah, we found Cloud and he was with the flower girl that we saw after the mission at No.1 reactor. Remember? She's fighting with us as far as I can tell."

"Oh, ok. Just get here as fast as you can." And with that he hung up.

Naruto looked at the others. "Looks like they started the party without us. Let's hurry."

They all nodded and sped up.

They arrived at Sector 7 without any hassle. Naruto yelled, "Taiju Kage Bushin no Jutsu!!!" and the whole area filled with Naruto's. They got to work telling everyone that ShinRa was blowing up the pillar. Some of them didn't believe them so the clones just knocked them out, sling them over their shoulders and ran to the playground in Sector 6. The ones that did believe him were in the meantime grabbing their money and personals and hightailing it out of there.

At the same time Naruto and the gang went to the site of the pillar. The gate leading into the pillar sector had now been forced open, blown from its hinges by guns. Many people from the slums had gathered around the pillar, looking in and chattering loudly amongst the stairs as they looked up the stairs that wound their way up at the side of the pillar.

"We made it!" Tifa exclaimed gladly, running into the clearing. "The pillar's still standing!"

They all looked up above them towards the pillar. As their gazes slowly rose up the stairs, they saw many flashes of light and more sounds of gunfire coming from all corners of the pillar – a fierce battle was raging around the pillar. As the group looked up, they could see a number of moving figures on the top platform. One fairly small figure was slowly backing off towards the edge of the platform, being forced back by more people with guns. He reached the end of the platform and stopped, with nowhere else to go. A gun suddenly fired and the man fell off the end of the platform, and began to tumble down towards the ground.

He landed with a loud and heavy thud on the ground in the middle of Naruto, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris as they stood staring. Everyone moved away from the pillar and gathered around him to see if he was okay, and Tifa screamed in horror as she saw the man who had fallen.

It was Wedge.

"Oh man," said Naruto.

"Wedge!" Cloud yelled. "You all right!" He ran to Wedge's side and kneeled. Wedge was very badly hurt. There were bullet wounds in his side where bullets had skimmed past him, and he was twisted round from his fall. He seemed to react to the sound of Cloud's voice, and slowly opened his eyes to look at him, although his vision was blurred and failing.

"...Cloud..." he whispered, gasping harshly as pain shot up his back. A small smile spread on his pain-stricken face, relieved to see Cloud was alive. "You remembered... my name. Barret's up top... help him... An' Cloud... Sorry I wasn't any help."

"Alright move," said Naruto as he knelt beside Wedge and concentrated. He then made the hand seals Divine, Phoenix and Dragon and yelled, "Divine Rebirth no Jutsu," and pressed his hands onto Wedge. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then steam rose from the wounds and his body lifted of the ground and twisted back to normal. He then floated back to the ground and he opened his eyes. Everyone was smiling at him.

"Shouldn't I be dead?" he asked.

"I just healed you. Don't worry. You're fine." assured Naruto as he got up. "C'mon. We gotta go,"

They all nodded. Tifa turned to Aeris. "Aeris, do me a favor," she pleaded with the young woman. Aeris looked at her. "I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighborhood. There's a little girl named Marlene there..."

Aeris nodded, understanding. "Don't worry," she assured the woman. "I'll put her somewhere safe."

A relieved smile spread across Tifa's face and she clutched tightly onto Aeris's hand in a firm, friendly grip. Aeris smiled back at her – a smile filled with confidence and self-assurance.

"I'll go with her," Wedge said as he stood up.

"Go to the playground in Sector 6. We'll meet you there," said Cloud.

Wedge nodded as he and Aeris headed down the path. The others nodded to each other before charging through the gate and up the stairs. A couple of flights up they meet Biggs. Biggs was still conscious but quickly fading, trembling slightly as he looked up at Cloud's face. His own face was pale and shaking, losing the battle that he was fighting.

"Cloud..." he gasped, his voice grated and sore. "So you don't care... what happens... to the... Planet?"

"You're wounded..." Cloud said, looking at Biggs's fatal wounds.

Biggs smiled a little, just as Wedge had done. "Thanks, Cloud..." he said, his voice almost a whisper as he breathed deeply with each speech. "Don't worry 'bout me... Barret's... fighting up there. Go help him..."

"Oh no you don't," said Naruto as he stood beside him, "You're going to be healed and then you are going to go to the playground in the next sector." And with that he performed the seals and put his hands on Biggs' chest. Again steam rose from the cuts and soon he was fine.

"Thanks a lot Naruto. You saved me," he thanked Naruto as he offered a hand which he took.

"Don't worry about it. Just get to Sector 6 ok?"

Biggs nodded and ran down the stairs. The others continued on. The prickling sensation was getting worse and it was now joined by a nasty headache. He shook his head, hopping it would shake it off but to no avail. They were close to the top when they saw Jessie. She was trying her hardest to climb back to her feet, but the pain from her wounds quickly overcame her and she collapsed back onto the ground, just as Naruto, Cloud and Tifa ran to her.

"...Cloud..." the girl whispered as she spotted Cloud kneeling beside her. She looked relieved to see him. "I'm glad... I could talk with you... one last time."

Cloud shook his head. "Don't say 'last'."

Jessie lifted her head a little, but a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her and she was forced to lie back down. As with the other AVALANCHE members she managed a gentle smile – a smile that revealed her courage and lack of fear.

"That's... all right..." she breathed softly. "Because... of our actions... many... people died... this probably... is our punishment..."

"Oh shut up," said Naruto as he prepared himself. She had a look of confusion on her face as he went through the seals again and placed his hands on her stomach. The cuts on her arms and legs started to heal and after 10 seconds she was fine. She got up and was about to thank Naruto when he cut her off.

"Don't bother. Just get to the playground in Sector 6. The others are there. We'll meet up with you there." And with that he, Clout and Tifa started running up towards the sound of Barret's gunfire. She stood there for a few moments before running down to Sector 6.

Meanwhile the group reached the top of the stairs at last, their legs burning, just in time to see the battle that was raging there. The control panel was built in the centre, with two Shinra soldiers lying dead around it. The pillar itself was still rising past them nearby, up towards the bottom side of the pillar.

Barret was standing at the far end of the platform with his gun-arm raised and pointing at the air. He ignored the group at first as they ran onto the platform, for he was busy firing away at the air. He turned sharply as he heard the sound of clattering feet behind him, and pointed his gun at them. A look of relief crossed his face as he saw the three, although it only lasted for a split second before it grew stern once again.

"Hey," he called out. "Gaara! They came!"

Gaara ran out from behind the control spire in the middle and grinned at them.

"Glad to see you could make it. Be careful though. They're attacking from the helicopter," he warned.

Naruto nodded and brought his hand to his side; summoning his sword at the same time. All of a sudden he was overwhelmed with pain in his eyes and head. He dropped his sword and yelled out in pain. Gaara rushed to his side as the helicopter hovered overhead.

"Naruto! What's wrong?" he asked.

"I…..don't know," Naruto replied.

'Kyuubi, what's going on,' he thought.

"**It seems I was right after all. You're developing your bloodline limit. It's an eye limit. That explains the pain in your eyes. But the pain in your head, I don't know. You're just going to have to persevere through it. Sorry I can't do anything to help."**

On the outside his hair was moving up as it he was upside down. All of his hair was sticking up. And there was what looked like golden chakra all around him. It looked like he was on fire and the flames were golden. Then his tail came out. Its color was golden as well. The pain looked like it was getting better. Naruto stopped shivering. He then stood up, the flaring chakra never dying.

And then he opened his eyes. They were still blue but there was a bright golden circle wrapping round his pupil. It looked like ¾ of his iris was blue while the part closest to the pupil was bright golden. His muscles had also pumped up a bit, making him faster and stronger.

'What happened?' he thought.

"**It seems your eye bloodline limit is the rare and powerful Kikangan or 'Eye of Time'."**

"Kikangan?"

"**Yes. The limit allows the user to slow down time. I'll explain later. You have work to do."**

'Right," he agreed.

Noticing that everyone was looking at him he said, "Don't worry about me; there is someone getting off the helicopter."

They all turned and sure enough a person with red hair was jumping off. As he landed Barret turned and began to fire at him, but he was swift and quick and was by the control panel in a second, his hand hovering over the controls. Barret ran over and quickly took aim once again.

"You're too late," he sneered. "Once I push this button..."

Barret stepped forward quickly to stop him, but he was far too late. The red head pushed down on the large red button on the control panel, and a number of flashing lights lit up on the panel. He looked up at the group and grinned.

"That's all, folks!" he announced. "Mission accomplished."

"We have to disarm it!" Tifa cried, turning to Barret and Cloud. "Cloud! Barret! Please!"

The red head turned to her, a frown replacing his grin. "I can't have you do that," he said. "No one gets in the way of Reno and the Turks..."

He was about to lunge at Cloud when Naruto flashed passed at an amazing rate. The golden chakra flared around him as he punched Reno in the face, giving him a broken nose. He flew all the way to the edge, slamming into the fence, buckling it under the force.

Reno looked at Naruto with awe as he got up shakily. He ripped out an extendable metal pole from his jacket and lunged at Naruto this time. Naruto side-stepped him easily and slammed his knee into his gut, winding him. He fell to the ground and lay there for a few seconds before getting up again. Suddenly there was a beeping noise that sounded on his watch and he looked up.

"It's time," he said. He nodded his head towards them and then turned. He ran forward, brushing past Tifa harshly as he dashed for the end of the platform, where he climbed up and jumped off.

As Tifa recovered from the collision, she turned and quickly ran towards the control panel, beginning to type furiously into it.

"Cloud!" she shouted suddenly, turning her head sharply to Cloud. "I don't know how to stop this. Try it!"

Cloud ran over to her and looked down at the console in front of him. Now that the main button had been pressed a number of lights and switches had activated and were flashing. He stared at it, before he finally shook his head.

"...It's not a normal time bomb," he said plainly.

Naruto's chakra died down and his hair now lost its spikiness and drooped down to normal. He blinked and his eyes returned to the normal blue. He was just about to run over to Cloud to see if he could help but he heard the sound of helicopters.

The group looked up towards the end of the platform where Reno had jumped as the helicopter rose up from beneath them and hovered just above the platform. The door then opened and a man stepped out and looked down at them. He was dressed in a smart blue suit like Reno was, and had a head of long black hair that had been neatly brushed back out of the way. He had a cold and callous expression that also held a sense of satisfaction as he looked at the group in front of him.

"That's right," he said to them. "You'll have a hard time disarming that one. It'll blow the second some stupid jerk touches it."

"Please, stop it!" Tifa pleaded desperately, her mind focused on all the people in the slums below who still hadn't got out yet until she looked at Naruto who looked back at her and gave her the thumbs up, indicating that everyone had got out safely.

"Ha, ha, ha..." Tseng laughed. "Only a Shinra Executive can set up and disarm the Emergency Plate Release System."

"Shut yer hole!" Barret shouted angrily. He raised his gun-arm and began to fire at the helicopter, attempting to knock Tseng from his perch and make him fall to his death.

Tseng just looked down at Barret, his face calm. "I wouldn't try that..." he warned Barret sternly. "You just might make me injure our special guest."

He turned his head and looked at a small, meek figure that was kneeling shamefully on the floor beside him. Cloud, Naruto and Tifa stared as the young figure raised her head and looked back at them dolefully. The three gasped.

"Aeris!!" Tifa cried.

Tseng blinked. "Oh, you know each other?" he asked, looking at Tifa and then at Aeris. "How nice you could see each other one last time. You should thank me."

"What are you gonna do with Aeris!?" Cloud demanded.

The Turk leader shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "I haven't decided," he admitted. He looked at Aeris again. "Our orders were to find and catch the last remaining Ancient. It's taken us a long time, but now I can finally report this to the President."

Aeris leaned over the edge of the helicopter and called out to them. "Tifa, don't worry! She's all right!"

Angrily Tseng grabbed Aeris roughly by her shoulder and gave her a harsh slap across the side of her face. Aeris fell to the floor beside him, cradling her cheek. Tifa ran to the edge of the platform and reached up for Aeris desperately.

"Aeris!"

Aeris climbed to her knees and leaned over again, her cheek red and sore. "Hurry and get out!" she pleaded with them.

"Ha, ha, ha..." Tseng laughed, amused by their desperate pleas. "Well, it should be starting right about now. Think you can escape in time?"

The helicopter blades whirred faster and began to lift the helicopter up into the air. Tifa reached up as far as she could as it rose away from her, carrying Aeris with it. The chopper reached the top of the sector and turned, beginning to fly away from them at a rapid speed.

As it flew away, a small explosion occurred from within the pillar nearby. It shook violently, and large chunks of rock began to break away from the pillar and tumble down towards the sector below. The platform shook beneath their feet as small pieces of rock began to fall around them like rain – the pillar was breaking apart and that meant that at any moment the plate would fall down.

"Once that Plate starts coming down it'll be too late," said Tifa. "We gotta hurry!"

They all started looking around franticly, hoping for a quick way out. Naruto noticed a cable attached to the fence on the platform. He ran too it and inspected it. It looked strong and was specked with oil. Naruto and Gaara would be able to hold on with chakra infused hands but he wondered about the others. He then had an idea. He ran it over with Kyuubi and she agreed. Naruto then charged the thick cable with chakra making the surface very sticky enabling anyone to grip it to easily hold on. He then called everyone over.

"I just charged the cable with my chakra so when you grab it you won't have a problem holding on. Tifa, you hang on to the bottom. Barret, you hang on to the cable by wrapping yourself around her." At this Barret blushed.

"Never mind that ok? If you don't do this you'll be left behind," said Naruto. Barret sobered up instantly.

"Cloud, you sit on Barret's shoulders. Gaara, you hold on above the others and use your sand to help the others and yourself." At this point it looked like there was a huge cocoon of sand at the end of the cable.

Naruto then held on the opposite side of Barret and the sand started holding him in place. Soon only their heads and Naruto's feet were out in the open.

"Ready?!" yelled Naruto.

They all yelled "Yeah!" back. So Naruto used his feet to unhook the cable and they swung away from the platform. And not a moment too soon. The moment they left the platform the pillar exploded, shattering into a million pieces. The people of the slums safe in Sector 6 watched as their section of the plate came slamming on top of their houses. Naruto wasn't able to save the people on top of the plate but he was able to save the people of the slums.

On the cable Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Naruto and Gaara continued to swing away from the sector. The cable jerked violently as the Plate began to come down, but it remained firm as they swung towards the large doors leading out of the sector. They passed through it rapidly, just moments before the Plate crashed down onto the ground behind them.

The ground shook ferociously as the Plate finally landed, and the sound of the crash was so loud it echoed all the way through the rest of Midgar. It was as though a meteor had suddenly hit, and clouds of smoke and pieces of metal flew through the open door leading out of the sector and tore through the park of Sector 6.

AN: Sorry its taken so long. My internet got cut off and I'm uploading this from a friends place. Thanks to Divine Emperor again for suplying the translation of Naruto's bloodline limit.


	14. Chapter 14: Rescue Underway

**Chapter 14: Rescue Underway**

Eventually the dust began to settle in the Sector 6 Park, and a deadly silence fell upon the area. All the dirt that had covered the ground had been blown up and now was spread across the floor. Debris was scattered everywhere, and some had smashed their way through some of the park toys as they landed. The swings had been torn from their hinges and the slide had a large hole in it where one chunk of metal landed and had ripped through the slide as though it were just paper.

The group had been knocked out when they were scattered throughout the park and now were lying on the ground, blood oozing from cuts on their arms, legs and faces.

Slowly they began to stir. The first one to come to was Naruto as he groaned loudly, waking the others. Barret was the next, cursing out loud at the pain he felt. Gaara woke uncomplaining as usual. And finally Tifa who sat up, shaking her head to clear the momentary sense of dizziness.

Barret suddenly got up and looked at the entrance. Or what was left of it.

The doors that led into Sector 7 had been burst apart as the Plate landed on the sector, with the broken doors lying dented and shattered at the sides. Now what was visible through the door was the broken Plate along with other crushed pieces of metal. Parts of the metal were a deep red- orange color as fires burned deep within them, slowly beginning to burn through. The only sounds coming from the sector were slow, deep creaks coming from the Plate as it settled into place in its new home. There were no sounds of life coming from the sector, and no movements of people beyond. It was impossible to see through the wreckage, not that there was anything left to see.

"Marlene! MARLENE!!" he shouted. He ran to the slowly burning wall of twisted metal.

"MAR---LE---NE!!" he yelled, even though inside he knew that Marlene would not be able to answer him. Desperately he ran down the side of the door, constantly searching for a way in. "Biggs!" He ran down the other side, trying to peer through the metal. "Wedge!!" He ran back to the middle and shouted to the sky. "Jessie!! Dammit! Goddamit! Goddamit all to hell!! What the hell's it all for!?"

"What? What? There's no need to yell."

They all turned to the voice and saw Biggs, Wedge and Jessie walking out of the entrance to Wall Market.

"Guys! You're alive?!" said Barret. He couldn't believe they were here.

"Yeah. Thanks to Naruto, we were healed and we all gathered here. When we saw the plate coming down we ran into Wall Market. Everyone else ran to Sector 5." said Jessie.

They all looked at Naruto who put a hand behind his head and grinned in an embarrassing way.

"Aww it was nothing. But I wasn't able to save the people on top," he said with his face looking downwards.

"You saved as many as you could," said Gaara assuring Naruto that there was nothing else he could do.

"But what about Marlene?" asked Barret.

"Don't worry. We asked Aeris to take her somewhere safe. She's most likely at her house." replied Cloud.

"Oh yeah, that girl," said Barret thoughtfully. "What's up with her?"

"She was the one who took care of me after I fell," explained Cloud.

"Well then, let's go," he yelled.

The trip to Sector 6 was eventful with people constantly thanking Naruto for saving them. Eventually, after many "Thank you's", they arrived at what looked like a nice little cottage. There was a small field of flowers and a nice bubbling stream next to the house.

Barret turned to the others. "Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. You guys wait out here," he ordered.

They nodded and took up defensive positions. The others followed Cloud as he walked into the house.

A woman was standing in the living room with her back to them as they entered. She neither flinched nor looked up as she heard the door open and close behind her, for she knew immediately who had just walked in.

"Cloud... wasn't it?" she asked. She slowly turned to Cloud and his friends, her face somber and red as though she had been crying. "It's about Aeris, isn't it?"

Seeing the sight of the woman's heartbroken face made Cloud feel even guiltier. "...Sorry Elmyra," he apologized sincerely. "The Shinra have her."

The news didn't seem to come as a surprise to Elmyra. Her eyes filled up again, and a single tear ran down her old face. She turned away from the group and walked away from them towards the kitchen.

"I know," she said finally. "They took her from here."

"They were here?" Cloud asked in surprise.

Elmyra turned back to him. "That's what Aeris wanted..."

"Why is the Shinra after Aeris?" Cloud asked, a question that had been burning inside of him since he met Aeris in the church.

Once again Elmyra turned away from them. "Aeris is an Ancient," she answered. "The sole survivor."

"...What did you say?" asked Barret in surprise. "But, aren't you her mother?"

"...Not her real mother," Elmyra replied. She lifted her apron and wiped a tear from her eye, swallowing hard for a few moments to gather herself. When she'd finished she looked up. "Oh.. it must have been 15 years ago... during the war. My husband was sent to the front. Some far away place called Wutai. One day, I went to the station because I got a letter saying he was coming home on leave."

Naruto and Gaara decided to stay out of the conversation and walked quietly out of the house. The blond looked at the others and gestured for them to listen.

"Do you guys remember the woman in a pink dress?" he asked.

They all nodded.

"Well she's been kidnapped by the Shin-Ra and we don't know how to get up. Biggs, I need you and Wedge to go into Wall market and see what you can find out." They nodded.

"Jessie, you go with them and visit the shops to get some information."

They all began running toward Wall Market. Naruto then sat down on a patch of grass and started relaxing.

'Kyuubi, you were going to explain my new bloodline limit to me?'

'**Ah yes. What you have is the very rare bloodline limit called "Eye of Time". It's a bloodline that allows you to slow down and eventually stop time."**

'Wow,'

'**Yes indeed. The first four stages slow down time. The first stage slows time to ¾ of normal, meaning everything moves at three quarters normal speed. The second stage is to ½ of normal. The third is ¼ of normal time and the fourth stops time all together. There are other stages but I don't think I should go into them now."**

'Oh yeah! I have a super cool bloodline limit. Not only that, it's an advanced one. Woo hoo!"

"**But your chakra turning golden and your hair standing straight, not to mention some of your tails coming out and them being golden as well. I'm at a loss for that. Maybe because you're a kitsune hanyo that the bloodline limit has some extra features and there merging together."**

'Doesn't matter, I felt really powerful. I didn't even know that I looked like that. By your description it seems like I looked like a fox god.'

"**Hmmm. I think it's time for you to sign my summoning contract."**

'WHAT!!!'

"**Calm down Naruto."**

Naruto snapped out of the conversation, shocked and stunned.

Gaara, who had been listening in, looked at Naruto and said, "You're not the only one that offered her contract. Nibi invited me to sign hers as well."

"Wow," was all Naruto's mouth would say.

Suddenly a large scroll appeared in a puff of smoke in front of Naruto.

"**Go on,"** she said in a soft voice. **"I fell as if I should. I know you probably haven't forgiven me for everything that has happened in your life and so I want to make it up to you, somehow. What I really want to say is…….I'm sorry."**

Naruto was speechless. He had a female…..err…..entity of what seemed a very high rank apologizing to him. He didn't know what to say except…..

"You're forgiven,"

"**Thank you Naruto," **she sobbed, yes sobbed. **"I thought you would hate me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,"**

Naruto then did something that he would remember for the rest of his life. He gripped his sword and sent chakra to it. In a cloud of smoke sat Kyuubi. Tears were running down her eyes and her small shoulders were shaking. Her ears and tails were drooping in sadness.

Naruto moved forward and slipped his arms around her and held her. She threw her arms around him and cried harder. Gaara saw this as a good time to back off and he walked back into the house.

Naruto used a hand to pat her on the head and run his fingers through her hair. It was really soft and smooth. He held her like that for a little while as the sobbing got less and less and finally stopped. She looked up at Naruto and they both realized the position they were in and how close they were. They broke apart very quickly, blushing quite a bit.

"Well you should sign the contract," she flustered, glowing in the face.

"Yeah," Naruto floundered, also red in the face.

Naruto reached for the scroll and unrolled it to see that it was almost completely blank. There was one other person to sign it.

"That person signed when my mother was in my place." Kyuubi explained.

"Your mother?" asked Naruto as he didn't think Kyuubi would have one. She seemed to sense this and smiled at him.

"Yeah. My mother is the goddess of kitsune. She obtained the ultimate stage of being a 10 tailed kitsune. You would like my mother. She likes pulling pranks on the Shinigami."

"Cool," said Naruto. The then bit his thumb so the blood started flowing out of it and wrote his name on the second slot in blood. He then covered the other fingertips in blood and placed his hand in the section underneath his name. The scroll then rolled itself up and poofed out in a puff of smoke.

"Great," said Kyuubi, "You signed one of the 3 legendary summoning contracts; the kitsune contract. The two others are the dragon contract and the phoenix contract. The legendary three summons are different from the normal, advanced and ultimate summons. Different because instead of summoning one animal you summon a group. The legendary three are military summons so if you tried to summon a fairly advanced one you would probably summon a big 4 tailed kitsune in battle armor, three 3 tail's, nine 2 tail's and twenty-seven 1 tailed kit's. Try it."

"Ok," agreed the blond.

He then pictured a fox in his head, preformed the seals and called out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" and slammed his hand on the ground. He put quite a bit of chakra into the summoning but was amazed at what he saw when the smoke cleared.

In the clearing…on the trees…and even a few on the water…there were foxes. So many foxes. Easily half a hundred. Perhaps more.

More than this, they all seemed to be of varying sizes, shapes, and even color. Near the edges, there were two tailed foxes. They looked to be roughly the size of a normal dog, or perhaps just smaller. Some were ocher color, while others were as dark as obsidian, and still others were white as snow. The two-tailed variant of the foxes Naruto had summoned seem to make up the bulk of the actual force.

Closer to the center, and forming the second ring, were slightly larger three-tailed foxes…maybe the size of a larger dog, with the bulk of one as well. Again, they varied with colors and patterns, running the gamut between dark and light, and even a few more vibrantly colored foxes.

The main difference, however, between the two-tailed, and the three-tailed foxes, was that the three-tails…were wearing what appeared to be armor.

They had metal plate coverings on their head and torso's, some glinting in the sun, and others painted darkly, so as to be more useful for stealth. They had leather coverings over their joints and tendons to prevent them from being easily accessed during battle, and a few looked to even have metallic canines in their mouths that jutted out over their lower jaws. From Naruto's vantage point, they looked serrated.

As Naruto scanned the foxes, however, his attention was not kept long by the two and three tailed varieties.

Not when, at the center of them all…stood a massive, four tailed, armored and battle-scarred obsidian colored fox. He stood almost as tall…and just about as long…as two full sized Clydesdale horses, and while he wasn't tremendously wide…only about as wide as a couple oxen. His muscles rippled beneath the surface, giving him a menacing, warrior like look. He stood imposing over the clearing as his tails whipped back and forth over the heads of his subordinates. His stainless-steel, futuristic looking armor glinted and glared in the sunlight as his head began to swivel, taking in its new surroundings. On his head and around his ears, a large helm rested comfortably, extending across his lower jaw and upper snout tightly, almost fitting itself to the fox's fur. Across the fox's torso, layered and overlapping plate armor hung off the foxes back, once again seeming to fit itself snugly to the animal it protected. On the fox's feet were small plates of armor and a few leather sleeves, protecting the tendons and vulnerable joints of the massive beast, and also adding to its overall power, should it use its legs for weapons.

Naruto broke himself from his reverie as he noticed the large fox looking at him. The fox's purple eyes seemed to bore into his own with an intensity he hadn't felt for quite some time.

Before he could even register the massive fox actually moving, he had knelt down on its front paws in front of him, his eyes closed and his ears laid back on his head. In some part of Naruto's brain, he recognized it as a submissive posture.

"Naruto-sama, I presume. I am honored to have been called by you, Taishou. Myself, and the regiment I command are at your service."

"Taishou?" Naruto asked, turning to Kyuubi.

"Oh yes, you're going to have to get used to that. You see whoever signs the contract they instantly become General of the kitsune army. They'll all address you as Taishou."

The purple eyed fox then saw Kyuubi and said, "Kyuubi-hime, it is good to see you again,"

"Likewise Starscream," she said. "Naruto, this is Buchou (Captain) Starscream."

"Hi," Naruto said in a small voice.

The black fox bowed again and asked, "What would you have us do, Taishou,"

"Ah Kyuubi was just showing me what it was like to summon kitsune's so at the moment, nothing. However we are planning a rescue and as soon as we are able to get up to the top plate I'll summon you again. Is… that alright?" he asked, hoping he hadn't offended the big fox.

Starscream just nodded and said, "I understand. Summon us when you are ready," and he promptly vanished in a puff of smoke followed by the others.

Naruto gave a huge sigh and said to no-one in particular, "Man, I'm glad I didn't offend him." Kyuubi just smiled and poofed back into the sword.

At that point Cloud and the others came out and said, "We're going to go rescue Aeris."

"I thought so. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie are gathering info on how to get to the top plate in Wall Market. I suggest we go and meet with them to see what they have found out."

"I agree," said Gaara as he came back.

Apparently so did everyone else so they started running toward the market entrance. They noticed that there were less people around than before. It seemed that the refugees were well on the way to settling elsewhere. When they got to the entrance Jessie was waiting for them.

"You guys ready? The others found a way up to the top plate. I went to the Weapons shop to see what I could find out and the guy sold me some old batteries that he fixed. He said that we would need them to get up on top," she explained. She then led the way to where Biggs and Wedge were. As they got further to Don's mention a couple of kids rushed passed them.

"Wanna see somethin' awesome?" one of them called to his friends. "Follow me!" And with that the boy turned and ran into an alley, with his friends running excitedly behind him.

"It's through here," said Jessie, following the kids. The others followed closely behind her.

As they entered the clearing behind the alley, they were surprised to find that the kids had all disappeared, with the exception of one young girl who was standing almost frightened beside the wall that separated the two sectors, which had been covered with graffiti. A long, thick cable was hanging near the side of the wall, and as Naruto, Gaara, Cloud, Tifa and Barret looked up they saw that the cable was coming from the remains of the cables and tubes that had previously been holding the Sector 7 Plate in place, and now were hanging down loosely all the way to the slums.

"Hey you guys," called a voice and they all turned to see Biggs and Wedge walk towards them.

"This was the only way we could find. I shimmied up there to see what it was like and it cuts off at an old propeller. You then use the batteries that Jessie got. After that though….I don't know."

"Thanks," said Naruto.

"Don't mention it. Should we come with you?"

"I don't think so. The less people we have, the less likely we'll get caught. If the rescue is successful we'll have to relocate outside of Midgar. It won't be safe anymore. Not that this place was totally safe before but we need time to think on what to do next. Is there a town near Midgar?" Naruto asked.

"Kalm's about an hour from the North gates. It's a nice place," supplied Barret.

"Ok. This is the plan. Me, Gaara, Cloud, Tifa and Barret will storm Shin-Ra HQ. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie; you guys go to Kalm and see if you can get us a safe house. We'll meet up with you as soon as we rescue Aeris. Does anyone have any problems with this?"

"Yeah! Who made you the leader?" asked Barret.

"A leader has to have a cool head. You almost always don't." Naruto stated this fact rather bluntly.

"Wha!" he yelled.

"See what I mean?"

Barret just turned around, muttering angrily to himself.

Tifa suddenly remembered something. "Biggs. Can you take Elmyra and Marlene with you?"

"Sure," he assured. "Well… good luck."

"Yeah, you too," replied Naruto.

Biggs flashed him a quick smile before running off. Wedge gave those thumbs up before following. Jessie smiled warmly at them all before doing the same.

"Everyone climbed up this wire," the young girl said, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at the size of the wall and how high the wire climbed. "Looks scary... Brrr."

Naruto then turned towards the cable behind him. He jumped up, grabbed onto it, pulled himself up and began to climb. Barret followed him, using most of his upper body strength to pull him up the wire since he had only one hand he could use to climb with. Gaara went after Barret, then Cloud and Tifa was last to jump onto the wire, which meant she was also the last to see the horrors that awaited them at the top of the wall.

The rest of the girl's friends were all standing on the top of the old concrete wall, gasping and exclaiming in delight and fear as they looked at what lay beyond the wall, and as Naruto climbed up and looked in, he also gasped.

He could see directly into what remained of Sector 7. Of course he could not see the slums, for they were buried deep beneath the plate. What he was looking at was what was left of the town built on top of the plate, which was just a large, smoldering wreckage. The metal of the plate and the houses were all broken up and distorted, twisted around into the most unbelievable positions. Electric cables had broken and were crackling – everything was a ruin. However, despite the devastation, there would be a small chance of people on top of the Plate surviving.

"Oh man! This is terrible!" one kid wailed as he looked down at the wreckage.

"Hey, scary, huh?" his friend said. "Dad told me that it's the Shinra's doing."

They continued in silence to climb the wire past the children, and headed up into the deep maze of broken pipes and chunks of metal that had lodged in the air from the top of the Sector 6 Plate.

The cable eventually came to an end a little further up, and the group climbed onto the large pipe that it was dangling from. From there they looked around to see which would be the safest way of going up. The pipes twisted around each other, many of them dented and broken from the disaster, and many ladders had been bent completely out of shape. There was one ladder that had been dented so it made a dip before rising up again towards another pipe that led higher up towards the upper world. There was a fan next to it, although the blades were a little out of reach right then.

Naruto jumped from the pipe they were standing on and onto the pipe that held the fan. The blades were too strong to be pushed into place, but there was a small square box near the foot of the fan, and as he looked inside he could see that it was a battery slot.

"I guess this was what Biggs meant about using the batteries and not being able to go further than this," he said.

Cloud, who had taken the batteries, handed one to Naruto and pushed it into the slot. It was a struggle to get the battery in since everything was so rusty, but he eventually got the battery in and a light lit up on the side of the fan.

Slowly, the blades of the fan began to turn. They creaked loudly as rust broke away from their hinges, fighting the urge to stop and beginning to turn slowly. They began to speed up a little, absorbing the power of the battery and turning around for the first time in years.

It wasn't the fault of the fan when the light suddenly exploded and the blades began to slow down again. The battery was very old and had been very hastily repaired, so it was no wonder that the battery lost its power very quickly and began to die out. Naruto watched as the blades began to slow down, and sighed with relief as they stopped, with one blade stopping right beside the pipe that led onto the ladder they needed to get to.

"Lucky!" he said, turning round and cracking a fox-grin to the others. They all smiled except Barret who was still put out that he wasn't the leader for the moment. But he trusted his words since it was obvious that he was trained for military scenarios and had way more experience than him.

The group wasted no time in continuing their long journey up to the upper world. With the blades now in place they were able to climb onto the pipe and then onto the ladder, which was stuck firmly in place between the two pipes. After the ladder then began to climb the pipes, using the dents and ridges as handholds and footholds for them to hold onto so they wouldn't fall to the ground, which was already a long way behind them.

They came to a stop again as a large metal bar blocked their path on a pipe further up, which was easily removed as Naruto jammed the second battery in. The bar lifted up with a loud creak, allowing the group to pass. The pipe itself ended a little further on, but the pipe on the other side of the abyss looked as though it continued to rise. There was, of course, a large gap between that pipe and the one they were standing on, with only a gently swinging bar between them.

"Oh joy. It seems we have to cross via this pipe. Unless…." said Naruto; breaking of in thought. "Gaara?"

Gaara turned to him.

"How hard can you make the sand go?"

Gaara caught on to his plan and said, "Strong enough for Barret to walk on it."

Naruto grinned and said, "Well can you make a bridge?"

Gaara nodded and brought out his yellow scroll and placed it on the pipe ground. He looked for the kanji for 'sand' and sent a little bit of chakra that brought out a large tub of sand. He then used his bloodline to fuse his mind with the sand and manipulated the sand to form a bridge across the gap. He then brought his hands in a crushing movement and you could see the sand hardening to the point when it looked like stone.

Naruto decided to test it and walked cautiously out onto the sand. He got to the middle and when nothing happened he walked the rest of the way.

"Don't worry. Its all good." he waved back to the others. Tifa went next then Cloud, Barret and then Gaara. When he got to the other side, carrying the empty tub with him, he set the tub down and brought up his fist and opened his hand. The sand softened and with the help of Gaara's hands the sand poured back into the tub. He got the scroll, placed the tub on it and sealed it back up.

They continued on. The rest of the journey was fairly simple once the bar obstacle had been passed. There were no other blockages or jumps to make, no pipes to cross over, just a straight journey straight up towards the upper world.

Everything was fairly quiet on the upper plate surrounding the Shinra Building. The tower itself was lit up with many searchlights that were rolling around the sky. A single helicopter was flying overhead examining the wreckage of Sector 7.

"This is it guys," said Naruto as he gripped his sword, poised to strike. Cloud did the same. Barret had his gun-arm raised and ready. Tifa pulled her gloves tighter around her hands, and Gaara rested his hand on the handle of his gun.

Naruto looked round at everyone. They all had different faces on. Cloud had a slightly angry and determined look while Barret, at the notion that he was going to whoop some Shin-Ra ass, was exited. Tifa had a worried look and Gaara…..well he was calm and his face held no emotion but his eyes gave him away. He was exited about fighting again.

Naruto then turned his head back to the looming tower in front of them and they all started running towards the building.


	15. Chapter 15: The Infiltration

**Chapter 15: The Infiltration**

The two shinobi, Cloud and the two AVALANCHE members stopped just outside the entrance to the Shinra Building and looked up at the tower looming above them. The building was very tall, and must have had at least 60 floors built into it. This was the central control for all of Midgar, where all the decisions relating to the city were made. This was where President Shinra would have given the order to destroy Sector 7. The Shinra president would be in that building somewhere, being protected by his guards and followers. And, of course, Aeris would be in that building too, although they didn't know where.

"Hey, you oughta know this building well," Barret said suddenly to Cloud as they looked up at the Shinra Building together.

Cloud shook his head. "...Not really," he admitted. He folded his arms and thought silently for a moment. "Now that I think of it... This is the first time I've ever been to the Headquarters."

"I heard about this place before," Barret began to explain. He walked past Cloud and Tifa and looked straight up at the tall, looming tower. "Every floor above the 60th is special and not easy to get to even for employees. Must be where they took Aeris. Awright, let's go!" He ran forward towards the entrance of the building.

"Wait a second!" Tifa called out suddenly, and Barret came to a stop and looked back at her irritably. "You're not thinking of just going right through the main entrance, are you?"

"Well what does it look like!?" Barret asked, as though the answer was obvious. "I'm gonna kick some Shinra butt and..."

"That's not going to work!" Tifa protested, her voice anxious. "We've got to find another way..."

Barret's eyes twitched impatiently. "Ain't gonna be another way!" he roared irately at her, growing angry at Tifa's protests. "If we keep wastin' time like this, Aeris'll..."

"I know that!" said Tifa. "But if we get caught here..." She sighed heavily and shook her head. She was getting nowhere arguing with Barret, for he had a mind like a brick wall – very hard to change. She then had an idea and turned to Naruto. "Hey Naruto, what do we do?"

Naruto however was having a conversation with Kyuubi.

'Can you sense where Aeris is?'

'**Give me a moment………** **I've got it. She's near the top. Exactly where though, I have no idea. Sorry,'**

'Don't apologize, we'll find her.'

He then turned his head towards Tifa and said, "She'll be near the top. I don't know where though. But it's clear that we have to search round the top levels. But if were caught before we get there, this will all be for nothing. I say we find another way."

"See?" Tifa asked triumphantly, grinning at Barret. "Let's see if we can find a different route!"

Barret growled angrily and shook his fist at Naruto and Tifa as they turned and walked away from him, heading towards the long, wide alleyway that wound around the side of the Shinra Building. As much as Barret hated to admit it, Tifa was right. To just enter the building with guns blazing would just be a suicide mission, not a rescue mission. He looked at the double doors leading into the building, resisting the urge to just run in and shoot like crazy. Instead he was able to hold back his desire and followed Naruto and Tifa into the alley with Gaara following.

They had stopped just a little further ahead after finding a door that led into the Shinra Building, kind of like a back door. Tifa pulled on the door handle as Barret caught up with them, and was surprised to find the door was unlocked and opened easily. Naruto let Cloud and Tifa go in first before he followed them, then Gaara and lastly Barret walked through, and they were inside the Shinra Building.

As they walked through and saw what was beyond, the five stopped and stared, their heads slowly looking upwards. The door led to a long staircase – a very long staircase. The stairs wound round and round above them, going up each floor of the tower, which was at least 60 floors high. Barret blinked, gazing upon the stairs, amazed at how high they went. The tower looked high on its own, but to look at it from this perspective, made it seem even higher.

"Yo..." he said aloud, his voice filled with awe. "You really gonna take these stairs all the way up?"

Tifa gave him a sideways glance. "Well, we've got to get to Aeris to help her somehow," she replied.

"Talk about out of the way..."

"I don't have time to argue with you!" the young woman shouted, her fists clenched and shaking angrily. She stepped onto the stairs and frowned back at Barret, her brown eyes glaring. "I'm going!"

And with that she turned away from the two men and began to run up the stairs, regardless of how high she was going to have to go to reach the top. Naruto and Gaara started running as well. They reached the first floor after a couple of turns on the winding staircase and carried on, refusing to stop or wait for Cloud and Barret.

"Y-Yo, Tifa!" Barret called after her. "Wait for us."

He and Cloud began to run after them up the stairs, since there was no other way they could get up there other than this staircase. They caught up to Tifa fairly easily since they were both stronger and faster than the young woman, but after a while even they began to feel the strain of fatigue. The ninja were fine because of the intense training they went through and so they overtook her. Tifa's hair was flying around her face as she ran, and she had to keep pushing it out of the way. Barret was panting heavily, and was already beginning to complain again.

"Don't know... Why... the hell... we gotta... climb."

"...Because we don't wanna start a commotion until we've saved Aeris," Cloud replied simply. He was beginning to pant with fatigue as well. He looked down at the ground as he ran. "I doubt that's possible, though..."

Barret smiled to himself. "...Heh, heh, heh," he laughed quietly.

Cloud's head snapped round to look at Barret. "Knock it off," he ordered. "You're giving me the creeps."

They fell silent for a while as they ran up the next ten levels or so. As they reached the eighteenth floor or so, Barret looked up at Cloud.

"So even you will fight for someone else," he said. "I had you figured wrong I guess."

"Who cares what you figured!" Cloud snapped.

"I'm just sayin' mebbe I was wrong..."

"Heh, heh, heh..." Tifa laughed a little to herself.

Now Cloud snapped his head round to Tifa. "What's that suppose to mean, Tifa?" he demanded.

Tifa didn't answer him, but the knowing smile remained on her face as she ran on. As she ran she grabbed her hair and threw it back behind her and out of her face, which was hot and red from the running. She passed Barret as he stopped for a moment to catch his breath before he carried on running. She had no idea what floor they were on now – she'd lost track after maybe the twelfth floor or so, but it didn't really matter because they were still going up anyway.

"...How much farther do these stairs go on?" Barret asked suddenly, breaking the silence to complain again.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Why don't you ask them?" she suggested to him sarcastically.

"It's not one of them endless stairways or somethin', d'ya think?"

"Of course not!!" Naruto replied, beginning to grow very annoyed at Barret's constant complaining.

"Right..." Barret said, slowly nodding his head. "Couldn't be that..."

He continued to run along after Naruto, Garra, Tifa and Cloud. They were probably only halfway up the seemingly endless staircase now, but still seemed a long way to the top to them. By now weariness had truly set in. Their legs burned intensely as they ran, and their chests heaved with each breath they took. They were gradually slowing down in speed but refused to stop. Naruto was fine though. So was Gaara. They both were pulling away from the others.

"Are we there yet?" Barret asked suddenly.

"Not yet," replied Tifa. There was a pause for a moment or two as they turned a couple of corners on the stairs, before Barret spoke again.

"...There yet?"

"I said not yet!" Tifa retorted. They fell silent once again.

"Yo..."

"Look, don't even ask!" Tifa snarled furiously, turning her head around and glaring at Barret with such an enraged look at both Barret and Cloud felt a little scared. "We're way, way, way, way far away from being there, okay!?"

"Hurry up guys," called Naruto who by now was 3 floors above them.

"Why….aren't you…….tired?" puffed Barret.

"Cause I have almost unlimited stamina, and Garra….well I don't know," he replied.

Tifa, now pissed at Barret, began to pull away from the two as her anger powered her on as extra energy. Barret didn't say anything else for a while and just ran on in silence, wishing inside his mind that this long trek was over with. Cloud stopped on the stairs for a moment to catch his breath, his sword feeling like a deadweight on his back. There was no time for him to adjust it now, so he began to run again, his legs also beginning to feel dead. He soon began to catch up to Tifa and Barret, and could already hear Barret's voice.

"Damn, man! I've had it! I'm going back!"

"And take just as long going down as you did coming up?"

"..."

Cloud turned a corner on the stairs and came to a stop again. Barret and Tifa had both stopped just ahead of him, with Barret keeling over and panting hard, his face red with lack of air in his lungs. Tifa was at the top of the stairs ahead of him, her face also red, but she managed to find enough energy to make a face at Barret as he stood panting like a weakling in front of her. Naruto and Gaara walked down to them.

"C'mon, Barret! Pull it together!" she said, trying to encourage him.

"Yeah, you can do it," said Naruto, adding his two cents.

Barret refused to look up at them. "Yeah, well all I know is I'm just flesh 'n' blood..." he replied. He looked down at his gun-arm that was supporting him on his knee and stopping him collapsing. "'Cept for this arm of mine. Don't treat me like I'm some ex-member of SOLDIER or somethin'..."

Cloud raised an eyebrow.

Tifa put her hands on her hips indignantly. "What about me!?" she demanded. "I'm human too! Oh, do what you want, I'm going on!"

She turned away and began to head up the stairs once more, as always leaving Barret and Cloud behind her. However, after a few steps she suddenly stopped and turned back to the two.

"...? Yaah!" she screamed mockingly. "Barret! You go first!"

"What're ya ignorant?" Barret asked her. "I didn't mean that..."

Tifa grinned as she ran over to him. "All right, all right!" she said, but still motioned for Barret to go on ahead of her. Barret did so, shaking his head as he took a few steps before he began to run again. Tifa looked at Cloud. "Cloud, you go on ahead, too!!" she added, and only waited until Cloud began to run ahead of her before she also began to run, a fairly smug smile on her face.

Naruto and Gaara started running again, now sweating a bit. Naruto decided to ask if there was any jutsus in conjunction to his new bloodline limit.

'**Yes there are several. I'll give you a scroll later at Kalm that list the easy jutsus to learn.'**

'Great. Now if only these stairs would end…'

And so they continued their seemingly endless trek up the stairs of the Shinra Building. The ground floor was now a long way beneath them, and it was very nauseating to look down and see the drop, so no one dared to look. They only looked at the stairs as they passed by beneath them, step after step.

"Yo..." Barret said through each panting breath. "What floor is this?"

Tifa shrugged. "...I gave up counting," she admitted.

Barret narrowed his eyes and glared at each step he ran on. "Why they gotta build these buildings so damn tall?" he asked aloud. "That Shinra... They're just no damn good."

"..." was Tifa's only reply, and they continued to run.

They had to stop a couple of more times as they ran, trying to catch their breath and moving on again before the others would get too far ahead, although by the time they caught up that person would also have stopped for breath. Their legs were heavy and sore from the running, their lungs desperate for breath. The shinobi were starting to breath a little heaver than normal. Naruto started thinking that this would be a great place to train physically.

"Huff... Man, I'm beat..." Barret said, beginning to complain once again. This time Tifa didn't acknowledge the complaint – she'd just be wasting her breath. Barret raised his eyes to the ceiling far above them, although his mind was focused on something else. "Marlene," he whispered. "Daddy wants to see your face one more time..."

Now Tifa reacted. "Would you stop acting like a retard and climb!?" she raged, her temper rising once again. "It's just a bit more! ...Maybe," she added quietly to herself, for now even she was beginning to wonder if the stairs would ever end and they would reach the top.

Luckily they didn't have to go much father to reach the top. Just a couple of floors later the stairs finally came to a stop as they reached the top level of the Shinra Building – or at least as high as the stairs went up the building. A single door that was lying ajar lay at the top of the stairs leading the way into the building, which was a great sight to see after their long and arduous climb. The three were extremely relieved to finally stop and rest their legs, leaning over with their hands on their knees to hold them up as they panted hard, sweat pouring down their faces, their legs and chests aching. Naruto and Garra were panting slightly, wiping the small amount of sweat from their brows.

"F..." Barret panted, breathing deeply as he tried to catch his breath. He tried to speak again. "Finally... M... made it... N... never wanna see... no more stairs for the rest of my life..."

Naruto laughed and walked through the door with Barret and Gaara. They emerged onto Floor 59 of the Shinra Building, which was as far as the normal employees of Shinra were allowed to go. Two red-suited Shinra guards to prevent unauthorized entry guarded the lifts at the far end of the level, and no doubt there was some special security within the lift to prevent people going any higher than they were allowed to. At that time the guards were the only people on the floor, which was a relief as the guards spotted the group heading towards them, and in particular spotted their weapons ready for battle.

"Destroy the intruders!" one of the guards shouted, and the two soldiers ran towards the group. Or at least they would have if not for a yellow, black and orange blur that shot towards the soldiers. Then Naruto appeared behind them, kneeling on one knee, his right hand holding his sword horizontally, his left palm open on the ground.

The guns dropped from the guard's hands, clattering on the floor and then at the same time, both guards slumped to the ground, dead. Gaara then used his sand to pull the bodies into the doorway they just came through and threw them down the stairs.

Naruto stood up, picking up something in the process. It looked like a card. It had the number '60' on the card with a black strip along the top on one side. Cloud came over; saw the card and said, "That's a 'Key Card'. It lets employees go to the secret levels."

Naruto smiled and walked over to the lift on the far end of the room. The others followed him and they all piled in to the lift. There was surprisingly plenty of space. Enough space for battling in if things got too dicey. The doors closed behind Gaara as he stepped in. Inside the lift was the control panel used to choose the designated floor, and a swipe slot. Naruto swiped the Key Card through the slot and the light above the control panel flashed green for a couple of seconds before the lift moved up a level.

"This is the real thing," Barret warned them all. "Don't let your guard down."

"I hope Aeris is all right," said Tifa.

"I'm sure she's fine. She had the look that she'd gone through a lot," reassured Naruto.

The lift came to a stop and they all filed out. They quickly headed off into a small room at the side to avoid being seen. This floor was different in structure to the previous floor, and was a little better guarded. The middle of the floor was empty but was bordered by four guards that patrolled in pairs back and fourth each of the different sections, peering through each pillar to catch any unwary intruders. At the far end of the floor was another small room that was the staircase leading to the upper levels, but the guards were right across the floor, blocking their only way across.

"Lookit that, all them guards is runnin' around," Barret growled angrily as the three of them peeked through the second door leading out of the side room and at the guards as they patrolled behind the pillars.

"Leave this to me," said Gaara and he drew out his large bottle of sand. He uncorked it and walked out of the door. Making sure that he was out of the way he set the bottle on the ground and started manipulating the sand. The sand slithered out of the container and proceeded to go round the guards and position themselves behind them. Gaara made a unique hand gesture and the sand wrapped around both heads and twisted violently, then receded back to the bottle with the cork sealing after it.

They proceeded to the next room and Gaara took care of the remaining guards and then moved on. Barret grinned haughtily in his own pride.

"Okay!" he cheered, now that they were free to talk openly again. "We're gonna rock!"

"Remember, we're here to save Aeris," Tifa reminded him sternly.

Barret turned to her. "Hell, I know that!" he snapped.

With that the group headed on up towards the 61st floor. As they walked up to the next floor they were surprised to find that the door leading into the level was unlocked and left wide open – so much for security. Of course they couldn't head straight up to the 62nd floor, for that door had been left locked. So they decided to brave the danger and headed out onto the 61st floor in search of a Key Card that would unlock the next floor for them.

The 61st floor seemed to be a large common room for the staff that worked in the Shinra Building. It was wide and vast, with wooden tables and chairs scattered around for people to sit and relax in while they enjoyed their lunch breaks. There were numerous people walking around or sitting down – clearly the Shinra kept people working even at night. The floor was quite nicely decorated with a number of green plants and shrubbery around, and it seemed like a pleasant floor compared to the rest of Midgar. Obviously this wasn't the kind of place Shinra would keep their prisoners in, so Aeris was not on this floor.

"The hell are you?" came a voice. "What're you doin' around here?"

They all turned sharply to look behind them, and jumped to find a Shinra Executive standing directly behind them, looking at them with a suspicious look on his face. It was no surprise to them that they looked suspicious with their armor and weaponry, but they didn't think they would have stuck out that much.

"..." Cloud mumbled quietly, struggling to find a believable answer.

"Oh, I see," the Executive said suddenly. "You must be that whatcha call it..." He tapped his head for a moment, before he clicked his fingers. "Shinra Inc, Repair Division!! You know, it looks like this building is starting to fall apart." He pointed to the door that the group had just come through. "This door was just pushed open. You ought to fix this right away. Oh yeah, and take a look on the other floors too. I'll give you this." He pulled out a Key Card imprinted with the number '62' on it, and handed it to Naruto. Then he walked away, leaving Naruto blinking in his confusion. Then he shrugged. At least they had gotten hold of a Key Card leading to a higher floor. So they turned and headed out to the stairs again, swiping the card through the slot beside the door that led onto the next floor, and stepped through.

The next level was Shinra's official library, which contained all their books relating to their weaponry, defense, Planet Study, and anything else they had a department of. One section of the library was even about space exploration, which seemed confusing to Cloud, Tifa and Barret since no one had ever made it into space, and didn't even know that Shinra had a Space Program. Naruto and Gaara simply didn't get it.

A single light was coming from a room at the far end of the library. With nowhere else to go, Naruto and his group went towards it. There was a large metal plate bolted onto the door, with the word 'MAYOR' engraved into the metal.

Cloud glanced at Barret and Tifa. None of them had ever met the Mayor of Midgar before – in fact, not many people had seen him. Most people had probably forgotten by now that there ever was a mayor, since Shinra had most of the control in the city. Even so the mayor was an important person, and should be able to provide them with a key card to the higher levels. And if he wouldn't give it to them willingly... Barret loaded his gun. Naruto then pushed the door open.

The inside of the office looked just like a librarian's office, and not the kind of room suitable for someone as important as the mayor. There were numerous boxes full of papers around, and files containing reports and other things. The mayor himself was sat in a chair at the far end of the room, mumbling quietly to himself as he looked over some documents. He looked up as he heard the door behind shut behind him, and looked at the three standing behind him, their weapons at the ready.

"Hmm? Oh, and who might you be?" he asked of them. He stared for a few moments, eyeing over their weapons. He nodded slightly. "You all must be those... ahem..." He stopped himself just in time. "Me? I'm Domino, the Mayor of Midgar. Actually, I'm Mayor in name only. The city and everything in it's really run by Shinra, Inc. My only real job is watching over Shinra's documents... Me! The Mayor! A librarian!"

He stopped as he saw the irritated faces of Naruto, Gaara, Cloud, Barret and Tifa glaring back at him. They had no time for idle chat with a man who was depressed about his job and what it had become, and they certainly had no time to hear his life story. Domino seemed to read this in their faces and nodded his head.

"Ohh... You want to get upstairs?" he assumed, folding his arms. "I'll tell you what, if you can guess the password, I'll give you my keycard. Yes, that's it. Guess the password and I'll give you my keycard! Get it on the first try and I'll even throw in a special item!"

The three standing at the end of the room each raised an eyebrow. Domino sounded like he should be presenting a quiz show, and not being the Mayor of Midgar. They turned to one another and began to mutter quietly amongst themselves, trying to come up with something that could be the password. Without any clues it was a tough decision to make, and they could go on for hours just guessing passwords. And that was time they didn't have.

While Tifa and Barret muttered quietly (arguing again as to whether Barret should just shoot the Mayor and take his keycard) and Gaara watching with an amused look on his face, Cloud and Naruto looked around the office. There were papers strewn everywhere, but there was only one that caught Naruto eye. It was a scientific report about Mako and Materia. The word Mako on the report had been circled in a bright red pen, along with a little drawing that he thought was the Mayor holding Mako in his hands. He tapped Tifa on the shoulder and pointed to it. Naruto then stood upright and turned to the Mayor.

The mayor was waiting patiently. "Got it?" he asked. Naruto nodded. "Then tell me. So, what's the password?"

Naruto glanced back at Cloud, Gaara, Barret and Tifa, before turning back to Domino. "Mako?" he asked.

Domino stared blankly for a moment, before a large grin spread on his face. "MAKO!!" he exclaimed, his voice loud and joyous. "God, I love the sound of that! MAKO! If I had a lot more of it, I would be a real Mayor! ...Hmm. Well, okay. Here, take it." He pulled out his keycard, which was imprinted with the number '65', and handed it to Naruto. "I never thought you'd get it on the first try..." Domino admitted, scratching his head. "Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover. Oh well, a promise is a promise. Take this, too."

He delved into his pocket again and pulled out a small ball of materia. From what he had learned from Zack he guessed it was Elemental Materia, which was very useful in certain situations. He was about to ask Domino a question, but Domino answered it before he could even ask.

"Why would I do something like this, you ask?" he said. He narrowed his eyes fiercely. "To mess with them, of course! Shinra's been torturing me forever. That's why I was a little rough on you all just now. Now go up there and really make them suffer. This ought to make us even! Heh heh heh..."

Naruto and his friends quickly left the cackling Mayor, thinking he had maybe lost a few marbles while he had been cooped up in that office working for Shinra. They headed back to the stairs and used the high level keycard to make their way up towards level 65. They passed Level 63, which looked like some kind of maze; and Level 64, which was the gym and resting area.

They stopped at Level 65 and looked around. It was a floor with a number of small rooms at the side around the perimeter, with one large room in the middle. From what they could see this floor was empty and they were free to move around. They headed into the large room.

There was a large model built in the middle of the room, and it looked like a large model of the city of Midgar. It was identical in almost every way, including the layout of the plates and reactors. The model however was incomplete, as some pieces of the model, particularly those parts of the plates, were missing.

"A model of Midgar..." Cloud breathed quietly as they all looked upon the model. "Born from Mako sucked right out of the earth."

"Parts of the model are missing," Tifa pointed out, pointing at the empty slots in the model.

Naruto turned to look behind him, where one part of the Midgar model was resting on the floor. He picked it up and began to place it in one of the Midgar model slots. It fitted in perfectly in the slot for the Sector 1 plate. There were more pieces scattered around the rest of the room, so the group all worked together to put the remaining slots in place.

As they finished putting last piece in place (incidentally, the piece that represented the plate for Sector 7), a loud click could be heard from somewhere in the room.

"...Sounds like something opened up..." said Cloud.

Naruto walked slowly around the edge of the Midgar model, looking down into the model for something that could have unlocked once they had finished putting in all the pieces. He stopped beside the unfinished section of the model that represented the only unfinished sector in Midgar, Sector 8. Curious, he reached inside the model. He felt around for a moment until his hand clasped around something small and rectangular, and he pulled it out.

Sure enough, it was a keycard, imprinted with the number '66'. An employee must have dropped it in there during the model's construction, and it must have been there for a long time. However that didn't matter, and they quickly headed up towards the 66th floor, feeling certain that they were getting closer and closer to Aeris.

The next floor was very busy and people were walking around everywhere. They were mainly secretaries carrying files to other offices, and inside the offices the other employees were working hard throughout the night. They were so busy with their own affairs they took no notice of Naruto and the others as they walked cautiously past them, looking for someone who looked like they had the authority to get up to the next levels, since it was also clear that Aeris was not being held on this floor.

As they turned a corner towards the middle of the floor, they very abruptly came to a stop and pulled back behind the corridor. The President was just around the corner, along with more of his top employees, which was why they were forced to stop before they could be seen. They peered around the corner and watched as President Shinra and the rest of his employees walked into the large conference hall in the middle of the room, shutting the door firmly behind them.

Naruto and his group stepped out into the corridor again, and stopped just outside the conference hall.

"Now what?" Barret asked.

"We need to hear what's going on in there," said Cloud. "Maybe we can find out where Aeris is." He looked at the locked door. "But how to get in there..."

The five fell silent as they thought for a moment on a way to eavesdrop into the meeting that was going on in the room beyond. Tifa suddenly clicked her fingers.

"I know!" she exclaimed, and before anyone could ask her what it was, she turned and ran off away from them.

They followed her as she ran around the corner and stopped at the end of the corner, just outside the floor toilets. She signaled for the others to follow her before she ran inside the toilets and out of sight. Cloud and Barret looked at each other blankly, and then followed her into the toilets.

Tifa was standing in one of the cubicles at the end of the toilets, stood up on one of the toilets and fiddling with the latch of an overhanging grate that led into the air ducts that ran between each floor. Finally the latch came undone and Tifa pushed the grate up into the duct, and then she grabbed onto the sides and pushed herself up into the duct.

Finally Naruto, Gaara, Cloud and Barret realized what Tifa was up to. The ducts ran between each floor, and there would be more grates opening out into other parts of the floor to ventilate them, including the conference room. Which meant that if they followed the ducts correctly, they would be able to see and hear directly into the conference room without being seen themselves. So they followed Tifa up into the duct.

It was a very compact space, and Barret could only just fit with his large form. Naruto, Gaara, Tifa and Cloud fitted in quite easily, and began to navigate their way through the small maze of ducts towards the conference room. They soon found it and came to a stop around it, peering down into the conference room, where the meeting was about to begin.

"Geez--!" exclaimed Barret. "That's a lotta suits!"


	16. Chapter 16: A New Friend

**Chapter 16: A New Friend**

The two shinobi, Cloud and the two surviving AVALANCHE members gazed down into the conference hall below, as the meeting was about to begin. President Shinra was sat in his own chair at the head of the table, a formal look on his face as they prepared to begin their discussion. All around him were some of his top executives, and Barret was right – there were a lot of suits.

Heidegger was one of the executives at the table, a very smug look on his hairy face. Clearly he was still pleased over their triumph in Sector 7, and most likely he still believed that they had wiped out AVALANCHE along with the rest of the people in Sector 7. Sat beside him was Palmer, a rather plump man with a jolly red face that seemed to stand out amongst the serious faces of the other executives around him. He was also a Shinra Executive, but unfortunately his department in the company was one that was ignored most times. Opposite Palmer was a woman known as Scarlet, dressed in a long silk red dress with one long slit spreading all the way up to her thigh to reveal most of her leg, and had blonde hair that was tied up behind her. Her face was caked in make up to mask her cold-hearted expression, although it didn't work for she just looked as cold as ever. And lastly there was Reeve sat opposite Heidegger. He still looked uncomfortable and concerned over the recent events that had occurred, but as usual no one took any notice of his fears.

Reeve began the meeting. "We have the damage estimates for Sector 7," he said to the President. "Considering those factories we already set up and all the investments, the damage is estimated at approximately 10 Billion gil… The estimated cost to rebuild Sector 7 is…"

"We're not rebuilding," President Shinra interrupted blankly.

Reeve blinked. "What?"

Naruto pressed his teeth together and let out an almost inaudible growl.

President Shinra picked up a glass of water from the table and sipped it. He closed his eyes as he spoke. "We're leaving Sector 7 as it is," he said. "And restarting the Neo-Midgar plan."

"…Then the Ancients?"

"The Promised Land will soon be ours," the President assured him, putting his glass back down on the table. He looked at Reeve. "I want you to raise the Mako rates 15 in every area."

"Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra, la, la!" Palmer sang loudly, jumping up and down in his chair excitedly like a little kid. He looked at the President with a childish, pleading expression. "And please include our Space Program in the budget!"

President Shinra closed his eyes again and smiled. "Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase."

All at once Palmer stopped jumping up and down and froze on his chair, his hopes suddenly dashed. He knew what that meant – his department would get no money from the income at all. If it was just Reeve in charge of dividing the income there was a chance, but the moment the President mentioned Scarlet's name that ended it all. Scarlet was a cold-hearted witch concerned only with lining her own pocket and pouring money into her own department, which meant that Palmer and his Space Program would get absolutely nothing.

"Oh man!" he wailed. He dropped his head pitifully down onto the desk and shook it as his dreams were crushed once again.

"Sir," Reeve said suddenly. "If you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence…"

"It'll be all right," President Shinra assured him knowingly. "The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence, they'll trust Shinra, Inc. even more!"

Heidegger laughed loudly, his coarse voice like a grater as he laughed. "Ha, ha, ha! After all, we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE!" he taunted, and laughed again.

Up in the air duct above, Barret fumed angrily.

"That dirty #$$!" he cursed furiously. He looked just about ready to burst into the meeting and kill everyone in that conference room. Luckily he maintained just enough of his composure to restrain himself, and continued to look down into the meeting. Even so, his fist was shaking uncontrollably.

It was at that moment that the door to the conference hall opened as a man walked in, and Cloud and his two friends leaned down as far as they could to see who it was. He walked up to the end of the conference table and stopped.

He was obviously some kind of scientist, for he was wearing a long white lab coat that ran all the way down to his black shoes and almost dragged along the floor. His face was incredibly pale as though it had never seen any sunlight at all (he was probably cooped up in his laboratory all day!). His hair was black and long, brushed slickly back into a ponytail that ran down to his shoulders, and a set of large glasses covered his small eyes. He had a very emotionless and blank expression, but through the glasses there was a cold, callous expression in his eyes. As he entered, walking with his arms clasped behind his back, everyone on the conference hall looked at him expectantly.

"Hojo," said the President. "How's the girl?"

Hojo only glanced at the President. "As a specimen, she is inferior to her mother," he reported. He looked down again thoughtfully. "I'm still in the process of comparing her to her mother, Ifalna, but for now the difference is 18."

"How long will the research take?"

Hojo stood upright and folded his arms in thought. "Probably 120 years," he answered finally after considering all the factors and procedures needed for his research. "It's probably impossible to finish in our lifetime. Or in the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter." He turned back to the President and his executives. "That's why we're thinking of breeding her. Then we could create one that could withstand our research for a long time."

"What about the Promised Land?" President Shinra asked. "Won't it hinder our plans?"

"That's what I need to plan," said Hojo. He turned away. "The mother is strong… and yet has her weaknesses." He covered his mouth with one hand as he chuckled darkly to himself, many plans hatching in his little mind.

President Shinra nodded. "That concludes our meeting," he said.

With that the president got up out of his chair and headed calmly towards the door, leaving the meeting room and his executives behind. Once he was out of the room the other executives stood up and began to leave the room one by one in silence.

Scarlet stopped suddenly while the others walked past her. She looked around and sniffed the air, before turning to the grate in the ceiling above her. Her lip curled in disgust, and the cold expression was clear on her face as if an arrow had pierced a calm and tranquil pool of water.

"Something stinks…" she muttered, her voice just as cold and unfeeling. Then she left the room, walking firmly on her high-heeled shoes. When she left she shut the door of the room behind her, and only then could Naruto and his group relax and breathe freely once again.

"They were talking about Aeris… right?" Cloud asked.

Barret shrugged. "I dunno."

"Probably," said Tifa.

Naruto looked back down into the empty briefing room. "Let's follow 'em," he said.

He began to clamber back through the air vents towards the grate where they had first climbed up, and dropped quietly back down into the empty toilets. Gaara, Barret and Tifa followed him, and they walked out casually out of the toilets, as though they belonged, and headed back round to the front of the meeting room.

Before they stepped out into the corridor leading towards the stairs, Naruto and his group quickly came to a stop as they saw a familiar figure standing in the corridor, also heading towards the stairs. It was Hojo, the scientist from the meeting. He was walking casually towards the stairs, his arms hanging loosely behind his back, lost in thought as he walked.

"Hojo… huh…?" Cloud whispered.

He leaned in close to the wall of the meeting room and looked more closely at Hojo now that he was a little closer. He was fairly certain that Hojo had been talking about Aeris when he talked of her as a 'specimen' and when the president referred to 'the girl'. He remembered Elmyra saying that Aeris once said she and her mother, her real mother, escaped from some kind of science laboratory. He was therefore quite sure that Hojo had been the scientist in charge at the time, and would certainly know where Aeris was. He nodded to Naruto, Gaara, Barret and Tifa behind him, and the five of them slid out quietly into the corridor, trying to avoid being seen by Hojo, as well as avoid looking suspicious by the people walking around them.

They entered the stairway in time to see Hojo walking up the stairs away from them towards the next level, since someone of his important would surely have access to the higher levels.

Sure enough, as Hojo entered the next floor, he pulled the next key card out of his pocket and swiped it through the slot. The red light turned blue and the door opened, allowing Hojo through. Yet Hojo neglected to swipe the card to lock the door again, and simply left it wide open as he carried on. Which was just perfect for Naruto and his team as they followed him up onto the next level, and stopped just at the top of the stairs. This was the last set of stairs leading up, for everything else was super-restricted.

"I remember him," Barret said suddenly. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the floor. "That Hojo guy. He's in charge of Shinra's Science Department. Cloud, don't you know him?"

Cloud also crossed his arms thoughtfully, and shook his head. "This is the first time I've ever actually seen him," he admitted. He looked up at the ceiling. "So… that's what he looks like…"

They left the stairway and walked onto level 67 of the Shinra building. It was clear from the off that this was Shinra's most technical level. There were many closed off offices, but from within them came the sounds of computers and people talking, hard at work even through the night. This was the home of Shinra's Science Department, where Hojo worked.

Hojo was actually just a little way ahead of them, walking around to a small clearing filled with crates and tubes where he kept his prized specimens. As Hojo entered the clearing he walked straight up to one large glass cylinder that rose all the way to the ceiling like a lift, and peered inside of it. Cloud's group were only a few feet behind, but instead of charging in and demanding information from Hojo, they decided to wait and see what was happening. There was a large pile of crates in the corner of the clearing next to a large dome-shaped holding cell, and the group hid behind that to observe. They were just in time too, for just as they hid one of Hojo's assistants walked in and up to Hojo.

"Is this today's specimen?" he asked.

Hojo didn't even turn around. "Yes," he replied. "We're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level."

His assistant nodded, before he turned and left to wherever the 'upper level' was. Once he was gone Hojo turned back to the glass shaft and peered again inside. His eyes seemed to light up for the first time as he looked inside at the creature that was held securely in there, seemingly very excited by his own genius. He reached out and gently tapped the side of the cell to get a reaction, but got nothing in return.

"My precious specimen…" he whispered, very fondly. He then stood firmly upright, and began to saunter out of the clearing.

Once he was gone, Cloud's team stepped out from behind their hiding place. Tifa walked right up to the glass shaft and peered at what was inside.

It was a very strange creature that seemed to resemble a red wolf or a very large dog. It had a strong, sturdy body with a firm coat of fiery red fur that was covered in scars, presumably from battle. Its face was rectangular, but it had a mouth full of ferociously sharp teeth that looked incredibly strong. It had a small mane of sorts around its head, but it wasn't very large. There was also a long scar covering one of its eyes, and it was blinded there, although it seemed to be quite aware all the same. It also had a long tail that was swaying gently behind it, with a furry tip that emitted a fiery glow. What was most peculiar about this creature was the tattoo it had on its left shoulder. A tattoo saying 'XIII' – thirteen. It looked at Tifa through its one good eye as she leaned in and tapped the glass gently.

"Precious specimen…?" the girl whispered softly as she looked at the creature sitting dolefully inside. She looked up. "Is it going to be used for a biological experiment?"

Neither Cloud nor Barret answered her, simply because the answer was obvious. Tifa's face cringed up painfully as she turned back to the creature, wishing with all her heart that there was some way she could save the poor creature from its fate.

Naruto, however, pressed a button on his watch and activated the SCAN. He pointed it at the creature and the metal disk unfolded itself from the watch. Characters blinked up on the disk and a revolving model of the beast also blipped up on the surface. This is what it said.

* * *

Name: Nanaki

Age: 48 in his species lifespan but if converted into the human lifespan he would be 16.

Description: A large and powerful lion/dog-like creature, coated with fire red fur. His species possesses great longevity. The flame on its tail can be affected by emotions and can die down when the beast weakens physically. His intelligence is on par with humans and can speak Teran or as some call it, English.

Class: Beast

Weapon: Teeth, claws, headdress

Birthplace: Cosmo Canyon

Attack: A

Defense: B

Chakra: B

Stamina: A

* * *

Naruto called everyone over and shared the information.

"Useful little gadget," commented Barret as Naruto deactivated the SCAN.

"It's not nice to keep things caged up but our first priority is Aeris. We will break him out when we get out," said Naruto.

Cloud slowly turned his head and glanced over at the peculiar dome beside them. It was made of an extremely thick metal, and the door was just as thick, with a single thick glass panel to enable others to see inside. There was a strange purple glow coming from within the dome. Cloud stared for a moment, and noticed a metal nameplate on the head of the door.

"Jenova…" he read. Curiously he walked over to the door and grabbed onto the rim of the window, pulling himself up to look inside.

The shock of the sight made Cloud lose his grip on the window, where he dropped back down onto his feet. He stepped back, but already his knees were turning to jelly as he lost the feeling in the lower half of his body. It was only as he fell to his knees and collapsed onto the floor that Naruto, Gaara, Tifa and Barret noticed, and Tifa ran to him quickly. Cloud tried to stand up as she approached, but his knees were still weak and he simply fell back into Tifa's arms.

"Jenova… Sephiroth's…" Cloud gasped, his voice faint and trembling. "So… they've brought it here."

"Cloud, be strong!" Tifa urged him. She wrapped her arms tightly around Cloud's shoulders, pressing his head against her chest. He was shaking badly, but was still strong enough to speak.

"Did you see it?" he asked.

"See what?" asked Barret.

"It's moving… still alive?"

Barret turned to the dome and looked at the door. He then walked over and peered silently into the dome. His eyes opened wide and he jumped back fiercely, just as shocked by the creature.

"Where's its fuckn' head!" he shouted angrily, waving his arms around. He stopped jumping and waved to Cloud and Tifa. "This whole thing's stupid. Let's keep goin'."

Barret led the way while Tifa supported Cloud and walked back to the glass cage. Naruto looked inside the chamber and recoiled in horror and fear.

The sight he was greeted with sent terrible cold and shocking chills down his spine, chilling his blood until it was like ice running through his veins. The creature contained inside was a misshapen mess, with a long body of flesh that seemed to thicken the lower down it got, and hideous lumps around its collarbones (if it had bones) that almost looked like eyes glaring back at him. There was nothing past its neck – its head had been cleanly removed. What was most terrifying of all was that it was pulsing slightly and moving a little – still alive, even without its head.

"Holy shit. So this is Jenova," he whispered in a trembling voice. He could feel a horrible presence from in there. Not wanting to look at it any more he walked on his slightly shaking legs following the others with Gaara.

Hojo had talked about moving the wolf-like creature to the 'upper level', which the group presumed to be the next floor up, Level 68 of the Shinra building. The only way up to the higher floors now was through the lift and the key cards, and they had no doubt that Hojo was the only one on this floor with such access, so there was no use them trying to get a key card from anyone else on this level. However this part of the level was a storage space, so they figured that there must be some way of moving the crates and specimen cages up without using the lift.

Sure enough, there was a way just a little further into the clearing. There was an old-style lift in the far corner, which was just a metal platform within a grated cage, with a pulley to pull the lift up towards the higher levels. The group immediately piled onto it. Once they were all safely inside Tifa pulled the old rusty gates shut, and Barret and Naruto began to pull on the pulley. There was a loud grating sound as the lift began to move jerkily upwards, little by little, towards the floor above.

As they finally reached the top, Barret secured the pulley in the hinges to stop it from dropping down back to the floor below. Tifa then forced the old, rusty gates open, letting in a bright wave of light from the floor they were on. One by one they piled out, and stared at the sights that awaited them.

"Aeris!" Cloud shouted, almost running forward in delight and in horror.

Hojo was standing just a few meters away from him, on a small path that led away from the control panel where his assistant was stood, protected by a thick panel of glass as he worked the controls of the main structure of the room.

Right in the centre of the room was another large glass shaft, built so it lay directly on top of the one in the room below them. Aeris was within this glass chamber, sat in silence with a doleful look on her face as she waited for the experiments to be carried out. At the sound of Cloud's voice she looked up, as did Hojo and his assistant. They stared at Cloud and his four friends in surprise, for they had not heard anyone enter.

"Aeris?" Hojo asked blankly. He then slowly glanced at Aeris inside the glass cage, and nodded his head. "Oh, is that her name? What do you want?"

"We're taking Aeris back," Cloud answered. He reached behind him and took hold of the handle of his sword, ready to fight if Hojo resisted them and refused to free her. Naruto and Gaara did the same.

But Hojo didn't resist, or even react emotionally to Cloud's reply. Instead he merely turned his gaze back to Aeris. "Outsiders…" he murmured quietly. Even his voice didn't seem to show much emotion or fear to their presence.

"Shoulda noticed it earlier, you…"

Hojo sighed heavily, interrupting the beginning of Barret's angry tirade. "There's so many frivolous things in this world," was all he could say. Naruto stared at him curiously for a moment or two, wondering what he meant by 'frivolous things'. He never got the chance to ask him though, for Barret suddenly ran forward and raised his gun-arm up, pointing it straight at Hojo. The scientist stared at him expressionless for a few moments. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked, his voice also emotionless. "I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who would operate it? Hmm?"

"Ugh," Cloud growled angrily. As much as he hated to admit it, Hojo had a point.

A small, flickering smile appeared at the corner of Hojo's mouth. He knew he had them stumped there. "That's right," he said. "I recommend you think things out logically before making any rash moves." He turned to his assistant behind the glass, while Aeris climbed to her feet within the chamber. "Now, bring in the Specimen!"

Before anyone could stop him, Hojo's assistant reached out and pressed one of the buttons on his control panel in front of him. A gentle humming sound came from within the glass shaft where Aeris was contained, and everyone turned to it as the centre of the cell opened up, revealing a long hole that led into the shaft below. The humming became louder, and Aeris stepped back nervously as she waited to see what was going to happen.

As she watched, a circular panel rose up into the centre of the room, carrying the peculiar wolf-creature, Nanaki, up with it. As Aeris's gaze fell on the creature's sharp red claws and fierce white fangs her eyes opened wide and she jumped back in a fright, pressing her body against the wall of the shaft. The creature met her gaze at the same time, and its tail rose up and stiffened, shaking angrily as it growled and snarled at the poor girl, eyeing her over as though she was prey. Hojo watched from the outside, for the first time a real smile appearing on his face. It was as though he was gaining enjoyment from seeing the two together.

Gaining her courage, Aeris quickly ran to the end of the shaft and began to pound it as hard as she could. She looked at Cloud with a look of pure terror on her face, filled with the fear of being mauled by this apparently ferocious creature.

"Cloud, help!" she pleaded, her voice muffled from within the chamber. The creature behind her roared fiercely, and Aeris screamed once more. Her face was as pale as a ghost, and the creature looked ready to lunge at any second.

Cloud turned to Hojo angrily. "What do you think you're doin'?" he demanded of the scientist.

Naruto, realizing the plan the wolf-like creature had put into action turned to Gaara and whispered, "I need you to fire bullets at the top of the container when I say, got it?"

Gaara nodded.

Hojo looked at Cloud. "Lending a helping hand to an endangered species…" he replied simply. He waved a hand towards Aeris and the wolf-creature in the chamber. "Both of them are on the brink of extinction… If I don't help, all these animals will disappear."

"…Animal? That's terrible" Tifa shouted, glaring at Hojo, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Aeris is a human being!" Hojo looked back at her, undeterred by her anger or protests. Instead he merely shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the spectacle of fear within the glass chamber.

"You're gonna pay!" Barret roared.

"Now!" said Naruto and Gaara drew his gun and pointed it at the cage.

Hojo's eyes opened wide as he realized what Gaara was about to do.

"Stop!" he pleaded.

He was far too late by then. As he spoke Gaara opened fire and unleashed several bullets at the glass. No bullets rebounded. They all were shot with perfect accuracy. The bullets slammed hard into the glass and dug straight in, beginning to weaken it and cause it to crack, little by little.

He was forced to stop as a much louder hum began to emanate from the inside of the chamber. A bright glow began to emit from the inside, and the last they saw of Aeris inside the chamber was as she shielded her eyes from the bright light before she fell to her knees and towards the ground. Hojo's cried out fearfully and ran forward, brushing rudely past Barret towards the door of the chamber.

"Wh… what are you do—Oh!" he wailed, pressing his hands against the door of the chamber, which was warm from the intense glow emanating inside of it. He fell to his knees as he looked into the light. "My precious specimens…"

Recovering, Hojo quickly climbed back up to his feet and pressed a button on the side of the door. The door came out about an inch or so before sweeping to the side, revealing the interior. The bright glow faded as the excess energy was released, and Hojo looked ahead to see what was inside – right in the fierce and bloodthirsty eyes of the very angry wolf-creature that was looking back at him. Before Hojo could step back the creature lunged at him, flying out of the chamber. He landed right on Hojo's chest, and the two fell back onto the path behind them. Hojo cried out in fright as the creature dug its muzzle right into him, trying to bite his neck.

"Yay! Plan success," cried out Naruto; a big grin on his face.

Cloud turned to the chamber. "Now's our chance to get Aeris!" he called, and ran into the chamber while Barret and Tifa watched the creature mauling Hojo fiercely.

Aeris was sat at the other end of the chamber, sat up as though she had been carefully dragged from the floor. She looked up as Cloud knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. A happy smile appeared on her face as she looked into Cloud's eyes, seeming very relieved to see him. Cloud reached out, and she took his hand gladly as he pulled her up to her feet.

"Thanks, Cloud," she said. She then ran out of the chamber to where Tifa was waiting for her, and she helped her down and took her away from the glass shaft.

Cloud was about to follow her when the circular platform in the centre of the shaft suddenly moved down towards the floor below. He heard it stop, and then move again, this time back up. He looked down, but he could only see darkness from within the shaft.

"Cloud… What's wrong?" asked Tifa.

Cloud looked back at her and Aeris. "The elevator's moving," he said.

The wolf-creature that was busy mauling Hojo suddenly stopped and stepped back away from him. Hojo sat up, his face pale and shaking, but he was not hurt, for the creature had not hurt him at all, and simply mauled his face gently to instigate fear. Hojo looked at the elevator fearfully, seeming more afraid of it than the creature in front of him.

"This is no ordinary specimen," he warned them. "This is a very ferocious specimen!"

The wolf creature turned. "He's rather strong," it said. "I'll help you all out."

Barret, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris all stared at the wolf in absolute amazement. They couldn't believe it, even though they all (except for Aeris) had seen the explanation from Naruto they were still surprised that the creature had just talked. The creature looked around at them as though nothing was strange.

"It talked!" Tifa exclaimed, her eyes wide and staring.

The wolf turned to look at her. Its eyes seemed to have softened now that it was done attacking Hojo, and seemed to almost have a civil, curious expression. "I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss," he replied politely.

While the others stared in amazement, Cloud ran out of the cell and onto the path in front of the creature. "We'll take care of that monster," he said. "Somebody take Aeris somewhere safe…" He looked around, and then finally turned to Tifa. "Tifa, I'm counting on you!"

Tifa nodded, and she grabbed hold of Aeris's wrist and began to pull her sharply towards the far end of the floor to hide behind the controls where Hojo's assistant was still quivering in fear. Once they were safely out of sight, Cloud turned to the wolf creature, which looked back at him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Hojo has named me Red XIII," he replied. He closed his eyes. "A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me whatever you wish."

"Isn't your name Nanaki?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, but how did you know?" asked Nanaki.

"I have an instrument that scans things and gives me a full detailed report on what I aim it at. So we'll call you Nanaki,"

The wolf-creature looked at Naruto for a couple of seconds before nodding his head at him. "Thank you," was all it said.

"No problems. Now, lets have some fun," grinned Naruto.

At that moment the lift finally came to a stop and revealed the monster standing on it. The five all prepared for battle, with Nanaki flexing his long claws and baring his teeth, snarling angrily as the monster stepped up off the platform and looked at them all.

Nanaki had been right – it was an extremely strong looking monster, and certainly looked ferocious like Hojo said. It was much taller than the group with powerful arms and legs. As it rose off the platform three smaller creatures hovered around it – its personal minions.

The wolf known as Nanaki charged forward and lunged through the air towards one of the smaller minions. He attacked with all four paws at once, digging in his sharp claws and tearing into the creature's body. Loud, high-pitched squeals came from the creature as Nanaki clawed and gnawed at it, until it fell silent. Red XIII then dropped back and turned towards the next one, and lunged once again towards the next creature as it stood nearby, while Naruto, Gaara, Cloud and Barret focused their attention on the main monster.

Naruto whipped out his sword and ran in first with his sword held high, and swiped at the creature's thick, leathery skin. The blade slid in fairly easily and Naruto continued to run, pulling the sword against its skin and cutting a large, gaping slit in its side. The creature didn't seem to feel it and tried to swipe Naruto as he back fliped several times to distance himself. He pulled out his phone and selected a song. (THE BLADE SEEKER by Junichi Nakatsuru from the game Soul Calibur III) Dramatic and fast-paced music rang out through the floor as he readied himself for some magic. Gaara decided to go in and unslung his gun and started firing at certain spots; its chest, arms and legs. The monster roared and swung his huge arm into Gaara and he flew into the air and skidded along the floor.

Barret raised his gun and fired at the creature's already open wound, and more blue-green blood began to pour from its insides and down its body. The creature growled and snarled angrily at Barret.

It opened its mouth wide and spat out a large green bubble towards the AVALANCHE leader. Barret hurriedly dodged to the side, avoiding the bubble as it sailed past him and splashed onto the floor, with smoke rising from it. It was a poison or an acid of sorts, and looked deadly. He didn't have much time to rest however, for another green bubble was flying towards him, and he only just moved out of the way in time before it fell onto the floor.

Nanaki looked up from where he was stood after finishing mauling the third and final minion, and saw Barret dodging the green bubbles of poison that were falling his way. He left the twitching body of the minion and charged forward angrily, his teeth glittering as he snarled furiously. As he approached he coiled the springy muscles in his hind legs and leaped upwards, releasing the springs and rising high up into the air.

He landed on the monster's back and dug his claws deep into its flesh. He used them as footholds to pull himself up the creature's back until he was at his head and his neck was bare. Nanaki immediately let himself go, sinking his teeth into the creature's neck. The monster roared in pain and reached up. He grabbed hold of Nanaki and pulled him harshly, throwing him hard through the air. He slammed into Barret, and the two fell back onto the floor.

Tifa and Aeris could only cower and watch as the battle continued, safe from their hiding place just under the bridge leading to the control panel. They watched helplessly as Cloud stood up and put his sword back behind his back, preparing to use magic. One of the two Materia balls he owned began to glow, and a long bolt of lightning fired down from the ceiling and struck the creature's body. It shuddered violently, and turned around to face him. That was when Cloud had an idea. He turned towards Barret and Nanaki.

"Barret! Nanaki! Attack him now!" he called to them.

Nanaki did as Cloud said and charged forward. He leaped up onto the monster's chest and began to claw and bite him fiercely, and jumped away as the monster tried to swipe him off again. Barret then fired his gun at the monster, his bullets expanding the already open wounds that covered the creature's body. The monster screeched loudly, with blood pouring from every wound on its body.

That was when Cloud took his chance and ran forward, pulling his sword back out from its holster behind him. The blade glittered in the light as he ran forward, preparing to strike.

While he ran forward, Cloud began to utilize the powers of both the Lightning Materia and the new Elemental Materia he had placed in the slots of his sword. The two balls of materia glowed intensely as they activated together, and small sparks of electricity began to flicker over the metal blade of Cloud's sword. The sparks grew in strength and intensity, until Cloud's sword became a flickering mass of powerful electric sparks.

The monster turned to Cloud just in time to see him strike. Cloud raised his blade to the side and started slashing across, then down, then across, then up and then he moved so fast that everyone thought there was two of him. They both slashed diagonally on both sides and a glowing line that spread through the slashes. It looked like there was a glowing square with a cross in the middle before the electric sparks that covered his sword grew and spread over the monster's body. In a flash the sparks erupted into a fierce ball of light, and the monster became alive with electric sparks. The monster raised its head high and squealed in agony, its body being fried by the electricity that enveloped it. Then, with a final bang, the electric sparks exploded, and the monster gave one final roar before the light consumed it.

When the light faded, there was nothing left of the monster. It had been completely evaporated by the electricity, and nothing remained of it. Cloud lowered his sword, and Barret and Nanaki also relaxed. Only then did Aeris and Tifa dare to step out from their hiding place and run towards Barret, Cloud and Nanaki. There was no sign of Hojo or his assistant – they had fled once the monster appeared.

As the music finished Naruto whistled. Even though he didn't get a chance to cast his magic he was impressed with Cloud's new move. "That was a sweet move. What's it called?" he asked.

"Cross slash,"

"Nice. You really made mince-meat out of him. Now let's go. We haven't escaped yet,"

"Aeris, are you all right?" Cloud asked Aeris as she ran up.

"She seems all right…" Tifa replied, glancing at the cheerful smile on Aeris's face. "In many ways," the woman added.

Nanaki sat back on his haunches and closed his red eyes. "I have a right to choose, too," he said. "I don't like two-legged things."

"What are you?" asked Barret.

Nanaki turned his head to look at Barret. "An informed question. But difficult to answer," he replied. He looked down at himself. "I am what you see… You must have many questions, but first, as the blond one said, let's get out of here. I'll lead the way."

Aeris walked forward towards Cloud, a thankful look on her face. "Cloud…" she said, her voice soft. "So you did come for me."

Nanaki suddenly jumped up over the rail of the path where he stood, and landed near to Aeris. The young woman jumped back in a fright, still a little scared of this peculiar talking wolf creature. But as Nanaki looked back at her with an apologetic look, she calmed a little.

"I apologize for what happened back there," he said regretfully. "I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard."

"Now we've saved Aeris," Barret interrupted, trying to get them all back on track. "Ain't no need to be in this buildin'! So let's get the hell outta here!"

"The seven of us can't walk around together so lets split up. Barret, Nanaki, Tifa, and Aeris in one group. Me, Gaara and Cloud in another. We meet on the 59th floor. From there we take the stairs. Sorry Barret," he apologized as the big man's shoulders slumped, "but it's the only way we'll not get caught. Now let's go."

Barret's group moved out first and then a few minuets later Naruto's group followed them. They quietly headed back down the elevator towards the science labs. It was still very quiet, which meant that no one had heard their escapades on the upper floor. So no one paid any attention to them as they moved through the area, and back down the stairs towards Level 66, the meeting area. Once there they quickly but quietly dashed towards the lift.

As this was all taking place Naruto realized they were being followed. He quickly brought his hands in a cross seal and whispered softly, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu," and two clones popped up hidden. He sent a mental order to one of them and the first clone transformed into an exact copy of Gaara.

'Gaara, we're being followed by two people. I've created two clones so we can replace with ok?'

'_Got it,'_

Naruto and Gaara then used the replacement jutsu and silently watched what unfolded.

One by one the three piled into the elevator. Before they could press the button to take them back down the lift door slid open again, and a figure walked in behind them, stepping right up behind Cloud and putting a gun parallel to his head.

"H, hey!" Cloud exclaimed. "What is it?"

The man looked at Cloud blankly through his shades and said nothing. He then raised one hand and pointed upwards.

"Would you press 'Up' please?" he said.

Cloud then realized. The blue suit… the shades… the callous expression… All trademarks of the Turks.

"Turks? Must be a trap…" cursed Cloud.

The smartly dressed Turk then moved to the side out of the way, and another figure walked in. It was Tseng, the leader of the Turks. He entered the lift with a large, smug smile on his face as he looked at the group in front of him.

"It must have been a real thrill for you…" he said sinisterly. "Did you enjoy it?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes and growled as the lift closed.


	17. Chapter 17: Information Gathering

**Chapter 17: Information Gathering**

Naruto and Gaara locked themselves into an empty room and sat down around a table. Then they griped there weapons and pushed chakra into them. The room filled with smoke and when it vanished there stood Kyuubi and Nibi. They gathered round and Kyuubi asked "What now?"

"Well I think that we don't have to rescue them now. Instead we should do some info gathering. My clones will notify me if anything happens. I recently found out that the clones can send thoughts of themselves to me. Now we should go to the upper levels and see what we can find. There are some computers there, but I bet they require some sort of password. We don't have anything that can crack the password," explained Naruto.

"Kaku sealed a program on a disk that cracks passwords quickly. It should be in the yellow scroll," said Nibi.

"But before we all do that we're going to teach you a new jutsu each. Naruto, I'll teach you. Gaara will be taught by Nibi," and with that they both disappeared from sight. Both men nodded at each other and sank into there minds.

* * *

Naruto woke up in the nice field again. He was wearing a black t-shirt with an orange spiral on the front. He also wore a pair of light green shorts. His tail was out and so were his ears. He looked over at Kyuubi and saw she was wearing a light pink t-shirt with white flowers printed on the front. She was also wearing a light blue skirt that went down to her knees. She looked very beautiful and he looked straight ahead so he wouldn't stare at her.

Kyuubi turned her head and said "You ready?"

Naruto nodded and stood up.

"Ok the first jutsu is a Fuuton Jutsu. It's called Tobikumo (Flying Cloud). It forms a cloud beneath your feet and you can fly with this cloud. I remember when you were 10 years old you found a thick wooden board and you took it up a slope and road all the way down while standing on it for training on balancing. This technique requires the same basics as that. Now the hand signs are Dragon and Monkey, ok?" she explained.

Naruto nodded again and preformed the seals and shouted, "Fuuton: Tobikumo." A cloud formed around his feet and lifted him of the ground. At first it didn't do anything else and Naruto decided to think forward slowly. Then the cloud started moving forward at a walks pace until he felt confident in moving a little faster. He sped up to a running speed and then he thought 'slow right' and he started arcing round to the right. Now getting the basics down he started with more complex moves.

All the while Kyuubi was watching him with a warm smile on her face. She was very proud of him. After another half an hour of spinning and turning at high speeds she called him down. (Think Goku with Nimbus without the trail behind it)

"Well it seams you got that one down really easy but the next one is harder. This next jutsu is a Void Jutsu."

"Void?" asked Naruto.

"Yes. Void Jutsus are some of the most advanced, devastating and useful jutsus ever. I won't teach you anything above D rank jutsus simply because they could kill you without proper learning and training. You already know one part Void jutsu," explained the vixen.

"I do?" questioned Naruto.

"Yes. It's called Kuchiyose no Jutsu. Now to summon something from one place to another is relatively easy if you know how and requires a small amount of chakra. But to summon something from another dimension is a little different. To do this you only need the amount of chakra to contact the summon as well as a huge amount of chakra to rip a hole between the two dimensions and keep it open until the summon is through. This jutsu is similar to that but we're going to open a doorway into another dimension. This jutsu is called Dimensional Storage. It opens a storage room in another dimension and you can store anything you want in there as well as get stuff from out of there. Now the jutsu has two hand sign patterns. One is with angelic seals; the other is with demonic seals. Since you already know angelic hand seals were going to go with that. The seals are Holy and a new hand seal that's used for Void jutsus," she used her two middle fingers and thumbs to make a circle. "That is the Void hand sign you need to use. Don't try it here. Go outside to try it."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. When he opened them he was back in the small room. Gaara still had his eyes closed so Naruto guessed that he was still talking to Nibi. So Naruto tried the Dimensional Storage jutsu. He did the hand signs Holy and the new one and said "Dimensional Storage no Jutsu!"

His hands started glowing a bluish white and that was it. Kyuubi then said, **'Now open a door,' **Naruto looked around and spotted a metal locker. He grasped the handle and the glow in his hand streamed out and ran around the edge of the door. The whole frame looked like it was shining and it seemed there was a blue light behind the door. Naruto opened it and was bathed in light.

After a moment the light faded to show a brightly lit room. On the walls there were huge, beautiful paintings of human shapes with white wings that were sapphire blue tipped. The ceiling was sky blue and in the middle there was a big chandelier that shined out light blue. There were cupboards everywhere. Naruto walked in and opened one to find it was empty. He tried others but ended up with the same result.

'**Of course there isn't anything in here. This is your room so you haven't put anything in it yet.'**

'Oh. Good point. Well I'll just have to put in something.'

The blond walked over to a table in the middle of the room and fished out the yellow scroll. He spread it on the table and sent chakra to all the compartments on the scroll. There was a huge cloud that bloomed out of the scroll and when it cleared he looked on in amazement.

There had to be ten items on the table ranging from a small disk to a metal board where the dimensions were 1m x 30cm x 3cm.

'**Let me out please,'**

Naruto gripped the sword and sent chakra into it. Kyuubi walked out of the cloud and picked up the disk.

"This is what you'll need to crack the secret database. All you do is slide it in one of the slots and the program runs itself. Now this," she put down the disk and picked up the metal thing, "is a hover board. It does the same thing as the cloud but you cannot fly with it. The highest you can go is half a meter. I suggest using this instead of the cloud because it would attract less attention. Ok?"

Naruto nodded in agreement. He didn't want to sprout up a new religion by flying on a cloud.

"I won't bother explaining the others because you have no use for them at the moment. So just reseal the things you need like the hover board and leave the rest here on the table."

Naruto nodded again and took the board from her hands. The problem was that they touched each others hands when they did and ended up turning quickly away from each other, their cheeks burning.

Naruto with a very red face resealed the board, rolled up the scroll and slipped it back into his pocket. He then took the disk and slipped it into another pocket. A poofing sound indicated that Kyuubi had just popped into the sword on his back.

He walked out of the room and closed the locker door and watched as the light dissipated. At that moment Gaara woke up. Naruto turned to his friend.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Gaara nodded.

"Well let's get outta here and find an unused computer."

They both left quietly and walked along the corridor to the lifts. The two snuck in and pressed the button to the 66th floor. As they were waiting Naruto suddenly turned his head sharply and said, "It seams that our friends are on Level 67 in little jail cells round the back. They've been there for a while. We'll go bust them out after this."

Gaara nodded and said, "Okay,"

They continued on in silence. The lift doors opened and they walked out. They used their stealth to sneak into one of the administration rooms and promptly knocked out the occupants of that room. They sat themselves down at one of the computers and Naruto fished out the disk in his pocket. He pushed it in and the disk automatically started searching for the Presidents Secret Database. After a couple of seconds the program had found what it was looking for and started breaking the password. This also only took a couple of seconds.

"We're in," said Naruto softly.

On the screen there were several files. Three jumped out at Naruto and so he clicked on the one that interested him the most.

"Let's look at Neo-Midgar Project," mumbled the blond.

Naruto skimmed through the file and started putting it all together. He summarized that Neo-Midgar was to be built at a place called the 'Promised Land' where the land would be lush with mako. It seemed that a Cetra or Ancient was needed to find this land. This seemed very familiar and he remembered that Gato did the same thing with Wave Country.

The next file was called 'Project Deepground'. It seemed there was a genetically enhanced army underneath Midgar at Reactor 0. The project was currently dormant though.

The last file was named 'Jenova'. This got Naruto's interest and before long he had read through the entire document. There wasn't much. It explained that Jenova was an Ancient found round the Northern Crater. It also stated that the body had been trapped in the ice for 5000 years. A scientist named Professor Gast was in charge of the project until he died and the project was taken over by Professor Hojo. It was also stated that 1st Class members of SOLDIER were not only showered with mako as all the other members of SOLDIER were but they were injected with Jenova cells.

There was nothing else so Naruto logged off and pulled out the disk and shoved it in his pocket. He motioned to Gaara to follow him and the two left the office and headed to the stairs to get the others. As they leaped up the stairs to level 67 the ninja noticed there was no movement and that the level was deathly quiet. Naruto decided to check the other rooms and opened one of the doors.

There wasn't anyone in the room. They found Clouds Buster sword and Naruto unclipped his own sword and sent the mental order and the sword disappeared. He replaced it with the Buster sword and they walked out of the room. They turned round a corner and saw a guard at the far end of the corridor. They started running to the body.

The guard's face held an expression that depicted an image of pure terror and fear. His skin had turned to sheet white, and his eyes were wide open, his pupils dilated as they had locked onto something unimaginably terrible. His jaw was locked half open in mid-scream, and already his body could hardly be moved he was so frozen. He had seen something so terrible that it had made his blood run cold and killed him on the spot – he had died of pure terror.

Naruto searched round the body and found the keys in his pocket. He then ran to the first door he saw on the right. He unlocked it and opened the door.

"Aeris," he said.

The young woman woke up and saw the shinobi standing there.

"Naruto? But.." she trailed off as she looked at a figure in the corner. Naruto followed her gaze and saw his clones.

"Oh I see," he said, fixing the situation by dispelling both clones. His mind flooded with information as he recalled what happened in the last few hours.

"Anyway, its time to go," said Gaara. Aeris only nodded as she got off the bed, walked outside and stifled a scream as she saw the body.

"Did you do this?" Aeris asked, her voice trembling.

"No. We don't know who did either. We found him like this when we came to bust you out of here," informed Naruto before he went to unlock the next door. It turned out to be Cloud's and Tifa's cell.

"Guys, get up," he said loudly.

Cloud who was sitting on the ground with his back to the wall woke up instantly and looked at Naruto.

"How…" he asked but Naruto cut him off.

"I'll tell you some other time," he said and unclipped Clouds sword and handed it to him. "Wake Tifa; I'll go open Nanaki's and Barret's cell," and he walked out of the door.

"How'd you get in?" Barret demanded when Naruto woke them up. He then looked at the open door. "Why's the door open!"

He jumped to his feet and ran out of the door, getting his gun ready to kick some Shinra butt and make their escape out of the Shinra building. He came to an abrupt stop as he saw the frozen guard lying in a heap at the end of the corridor, and ran over to him. Naruto and Nanaki followed him and stopped behind Barret. Cloud and Tifa walked out and stood by them.

"The hell's goin' on!" Barret roared furiously as he looked at the guard.

Nanaki shook his head. "No human could've done this," he commented. He walked past Barret and Naruto towards the corridor leading back into the main part of the floor, where he stopped and turned back. "I'll go on ahead," he told them, and with that he turned and ran off towards the rest of the floor.

"I'll clean up back here, so you guys go on ahead," said Barret. Naruto nodded and turned away, but Barret quickly turned his head. "And don't get caught by Shinra!"

"Of course. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, come with us," motioned Naruto. They left Barret behind to move the stone cold guard out of sight as they headed after Nanaki deeper into the science level. As they stepped out of the corridor and back into the main part of the floor they saw the many bodies of workers lying dead, each one frozen in terror. All the secretaries, all the technicians, everybody was dead. Naruto, Gaara, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris stared in confusion, wondering what had happened to make everyone on the floor drop down dead.

Nanaki was a little further ahead, next to the clearing where the dome-shaped cell was built. He was standing beside one of Hojo's assistants who were lying on the floor beside the cell, also dead, but that was not the reason why Nanaki had his tail as straight as a pole and growling fiercely. The others looked up, and Cloud opened his eyes wide.

The door to the Jenova cell had been burst open from the inside, and its contents gone. The door had been almost blown from its hinges, leaving a large gaping hole. It was dark inside the dome now, but that was not the most terrifying thing. There was a large pool of blood around the door, blood that did not belong to the assistant. The blood lay in a large puddle and was moving away from the door in a long red streak, as though something large and heavy had moved away from the door and around the corner to the lift. There was also a thick, heavy scent of flesh in the air, which was why Nanaki was growling. He didn't like the smell he was getting from the air.

"Did it get away?" Cloud asked, looking through the empty door of the cell. There was more blood inside the cell, but no sign of the creature that had been trapped inside. "Jenova...?"

"Jenova Specimen," Nanaki growled. He turned towards the lift, where the blood streak ran. "Looks like it went to the upper floor using that elevator for the specimens."

Naruto looked at Gaara and they both nodded. Having recently looked at the files on the creature they knew how dangerous this was.

Nanaki began to run again, following the trail of blood towards the lift. The rest of the group followed him, and they all piled into the lift. The blood was thicker inside the lift, and they had no choice but to stand in it as the lift went up towards the experimental level of the building.

As they reached the next floor and piled out, Nanaki immediately ran forward towards yet another dead body that was lying in a slump in the middle of the room, right beside the trail of blood that continued to slide away from them towards a door at the far end of the room. The body belonged to Hojo's first assistant, the one who had helped Hojo with Aeris and Nanaki. Now he was dead, and the trail of blood moved on, not stopping or fading, through the door.

"It looks like it leads up..." said Nanaki.

The six of them continued to head up, following the trail of blood as it led around to the hidden area of Level 68. It led right to another set of stairs that led to the higher levels, where they had been taken to meet President Shinra after their capture; not including the shinobi. The locked doors had been burst open at the top, with the blood moving relentlessly through.

Level 69 was the main secretarial floor, and; as Naruto remembered from his clones, had been very busy when Cloud and his friends had moved through the last time. Now, however, there was a different scene. Each and every one of the secretaries that had been working were now dead, their bodies all twisted and mauled as though something ferocious had attacked them, while others simply died in fear. The trail of blood continued to move on two the twin sets of stairs that curled round and headed up to the very final floor of the Shinra building – the president's office. Cloud looked around at his friends, before they ran up to the final level, their weapons at the ready, ready to face whatever danger was awaiting them at the top. They ran up the stairs, and burst through the open doors.

Then, they skidded to a stop.

Cloud and the others all stared in amazement at the sight that lay before them. The trail of blood stopped on this floor, simply stopping abruptly in the middle of the floor, but that wasn't what shocked them. What shocked them was the Shinra president's desk, or rather, what lay on top of it. All they could do was stare in complete amazement at what was lying before them.

President Shinra was at his desk in front of them, although he was in no position to talk to them. He wasn't in his chair, instead he was lying face down on top of the desk with his arms sprawled out in front of him as though he had fallen, and was never able to get up. Sticking up out of his back was a monstrously long, thin sword made of shiny silver metal, which was curved slightly for maximum damage. This silver sword was a masamune, a sword that was very difficult to control when in the wrong hands. This sword was sticking straight up into the air out of the middle of the president's back, right through his heart. As with all the others in the high levels of the building President Shinra's face was twisted in a look of horror, and everything else was deadly silent. Both Tifa and Aeris gasped, their voices echoing in the silence of the room, their hands over their mouths in shock. Cloud and Red XIII could only stare in surprise.

'_Naruto, that sword, its…'_ thought Gaara.

'Yeah, our targets,' replied Naruto.

They didn't know what was going on, but they felt certain that whatever killed President Shinra wasn't the thing that killed everyone else in the building. Even so, they didn't know what made the blood tracks, either. Behind them came the sound of heavy running feet, and Barret came charging in. He raised his gun ready, but stopped as he saw the president.

"He's dead... The leader of Shinra, Inc. is dead..." Barret said in awe. He lowered his gun-arm, feeling suddenly inadequate now that his target was already dead. He looked up at the long, curved sword, and heard Tifa gasp in dread and horror.

"Then this sword must be...!" she gasped.

Cloud narrowed his eyes angrily. "Sephiroth's!" he growled.

Tifa shook her head in amazement. "...Sephiroth is alive?"

"...Looks like it," replied Cloud. "Only Sephiroth can use that sword."

"Who cares who did it?" Barret demanded. "This is the end of Shinra now."

'I highly doubt that. Any number of people could take over,' thought Naruto.

While he was thinking a small sound suddenly made him snap out of his thoughts, and everyone rapidly turned to one of the pillars at the side of the room. To their surprise a figure was standing behind it, trembling and shaking in fear as he looked out at them. When he met the stares of the others looking back at him he jumped fiercely.

It was Palmer, the head of Shinra's Space Program. He cried out in a panic and darted forward, trying to make his escape before they could kill him. He made the mistake of trying to run between Cloud and Naruto in his desperate dash for the door, but as he ran past Cloud and Naruto both reached out and grabbed him by his arms. They grabbed him and pulled him harshly back, holding him still while he struggled violently to get away. He was very panicky.

"P, p, p, please, don't kill me!" he begged of them. He struggled again, but Cloud and Naruto both had a tight grip on him and he wasn't going anywhere. That didn't stop him from struggling though, and he kicked out again and again as he tried to wrench himself free.

"What happened?" Cloud asked him, ignoring the terrified man's struggling. He wasn't going anywhere until they got some answers as to what was going on inside the Shinra Building.

Palmer finally stopped struggling as he realized he wasn't in danger from them, and looked up at Cloud. His face was as white as a sheet and sweat was pouring down his face in fear. "Se, Sephiroth," he stammered nervously, his voice almost a whisper. He swallowed hard to try and remove the lump that had formed in his throat. "Sephiroth came."

Cloud opened his eyes wide just at the mere mention of the name, and glared at Palmer.

"Did you see him?" Cloud asked him, feeling sure that in some way Palmer was fooling around with him and not taking him seriously. He stared furiously into Palmer's terrified eyes. "Did you see Sephiroth?"

Palmer nodded his head fiercely, although his movements were jerky as well. "Yeah, I saw him!" he exclaimed, looking back at Cloud with his eyes wide open to show he wasn't lying. "I saw him with my own eyes!"

"You really saw him?" Cloud asked again, wanting to be absolutely sure that Palmer was indeed telling the truth. Just to make his point he tightened his grip on Palmer's arm and shoulder.

Palmer stared in disbelief. "Would I lie to you at a time like this!" he demanded of Cloud, glaring back at him. "And I heard his voice too!" He stopped and gasped as he remembered everything that had happened. "Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land."

"Then what?" asked Tifa, not really believing it. Cloud looked over at her as she spoke. "Does that mean that the Promised Land really does exist and Sephiroth is here to save it from Shinra?"

"So he's a good guy then?" asked Barret.

Cloud shook his head. "Save the Promised Land? A good guy?" he asked in disbelief. He looked up, his eyes narrowed angrily. "No way! It's not that simple! I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different!"

While they were busy talking, Palmer saw his chance to make his escape before they decided to kill him now they knew what had happened. With a sudden jerk he wrenched his arms free from Naruto and Cloud and made a dash for the door at the far end of the room, which led out onto a balcony outside the building. Naruto and his group made no attempt to go after him since they had got the information they wanted from him.

At that moment a loud whirring sound came from the outside, and everyone turned to the large windows that surrounded the back of the dead president's desk. They could see Palmer outside waving his arms towards a helicopter that was rapidly making its way towards the Shinra building. As they watched the helicopter began to land on the balcony.

"Rufus! Shit!" Barret cursed loudly, kicking at the floor with his feet as he saw the helicopter blades begin to slow down. "I forgot about him!"

"Who's that?" asked Tifa.

They watched as a figure stepped down from the helicopter. They could only see him faintly through the glass, but they could tell that it was a fairly young man not that much older than they were, with a head of bright orange hair and dressed in a long white trench coat that ran all the way down to his boots. He had eyes that were cold and callous, exactly like the president's eyes were, and he had a knowing smirk on his face as he stepped off the helicopter, where Palmer immediately ran to him.

"Vice President Rufus," said Barret, glaring at the redheaded man as he looked around. "The president's son."

Tifa almost gasped in amazement. She never knew that the president was married, let alone had a son. In the years she had lived in Midgar she had never seen nor heard of Vice President Rufus, although she knew that there must have been a vice president if there was a president. She only knew of the president and his top executives, but the Vice President had never been to any of the important Shinra meetings or announcements. So there he was... Vice President Rufus.

"I've heard no one's ever seen him bleed or cry," said Aeris in awe as she looked out at Rufus. At that particular moment Palmer was ranting on in front of him in an absolute frenzy, and Rufus didn't look like he was paying too much attention to him, which came as no surprise.

"I've heard that he's been assigned somewhere else for a long time..." said Barret, also in awe. While he watched Rufus flicked a hand through his hair, looking almost pleased with the news that he had just been given.

"I only know his name," said Nanaki.

Tifa folded her arms and tilted her head to the side. "I wonder what kinda person he is..." she wondered.

Naruto looked at the Vice President as he stood there smugly in the middle of the balcony, continuing to ignore Palmer as he ranted and raved. Naruto then narrowed his eyes and began to run towards the door that Palmer used to run out to the balcony with. The other five followed him closely, and they all ran out in single file onto the balcony. Palmer had just about stopped blathering by the time Naruto and his group ran out onto the balcony, where Rufus had folded his arms in thought.

"So... So Sephiroth was actually here..." Rufus said quietly. He looked up at Palmer. "By the way."

He stopped as he looked up over Palmer's shoulder towards Naruto's group who were all running towards him. Palmer also turned and looked. As he saw the five of them heading towards him and Rufus he jumped violently, and then quickly darted off towards the helicopter as it waited patiently at the far end of the balcony.

Naruto's group all came to a stop and stood firmly in front of Vice President Rufus, their hands at their weapons ready in case Rufus made any wrong movements. Rufus simply looked around at the group blankly, seemingly unimpressed by them. Four men, two women, and a dog... he wasn't at all bothered by them.

"Who are you guys?" he asked.

Cloud stepped forward. "I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER First Class!" he said.

Naruto did the same. "I'm Naruto, former Wutai Battle Specialist."

Gaara glared at Rufus. "Gaara, same as Naruto." Gaara let some sand out of his bottle and let it spiral slowly around him for effect.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret said fiercely, raising his gun-arm in warning to Rufus.

"Same here!" said Tifa.

"...A flower girl from the slums," said Aeris.

Nanaki flexed his sharp claws. "...A research specimen," he growled. Rufus looked around at the group once again and shrugged, still unimpressed. He had expected a more organized or at least a more threatening-looking group as the infamous rebels he had heard about, but instead, this was it. But when he looked at Naruto and Gaara his eyes narrowed before returning to the board look before.

"What a crew," he commented simply, which was all that he could say about them. He flicked a hand through his hair smugly and looked back at them. "Well, I'm Rufus. The President of Shinra, Inc."

"You only President 'cause yer old man died!" Barret retorted, taking an instant dislike to Rufus.

"That's right," said Rufus, the smug smile still on his face. "I'll let you hear my new appointment speech." He walked forward towards the group and stopped in front of Tifa. She turned her head sharply away and refused to look at him. "...Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working." He turned away and walked over to Aeris, who looked at him. "The population thought that Shinra would protect them." He walked over to Barret, who glared at him with a furious expression on his face. "Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you. It looks perfect on the outside. But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man." He walked back to the edge of the balcony and looked out at the city of Midgar in the night. "A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."

Tifa crossed her arms and looked away from Rufus stubbornly. "He likes to make speeches just like his father," she said, sighing heavily. Rufus turned and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. While he was busy, Cloud turned towards the rest of the group and looked at them all sternly.

"Get outta this building with Aeris!" he ordered them all suddenly. Everyone in the group turned to look at him in surprise, unable to believe what he was saying.

"What?" Barret asked, staring at Cloud.

Cloud shook his head at them. "I'll explain later," he told them. He looked at Barret sternly. "Barret! This is the real crisis for the Planet!"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Barret demanded angrily, trying to figure out what Cloud was going on about.

"I'll tell you later!" Cloud said, insistent. He reached up and drew his sword from behind him, holding it in his hands. "Just take my word for it for now! I'll go after I take care of him!"

Barret stared at the determined look in Cloud's face. He wasn't sure what it was Cloud could see in Rufus that he couldn't, but he didn't dare try to contradict him. By now the dead people in the building would surely have been discovered, and guards would now be swarming in the building trying to find them. Aeris had already been captured twice now, so they had to get her out before the Shinra captured her again.

With that he turned and ran off back towards the president's office, followed closely by Nanaki and Aeris. Tifa remained behind for a few seconds more, looking back at Cloud with a concerned look in her eyes. She looked down at the ground for a moment, before she looked up and quickly followed Barret and the others. Naruto looked at Cloud and said, "We'll be on the bottom level ok?"

"Got it," replied Cloud and with that Naruto and Gaara ran to follow Barret and the others.

Meanwhile Barret, Aeris, Tifa and Nanaki were all running through President Shinra's office, trying hard to avoid looking at the dead president's body as they passed through. They couldn't believe that Rufus wasn't even at all remorseful or upset over his father's death, but they figured that that was the kind of person he was. Just as President Shinra didn't care when he killed all the people of Sector 7, Rufus didn't care about his father's death.

The group headed back down the stairs towards the secretarial level on Level 69, where all the dead bodies of the secretaries still lay in their terrified heaps. Again they ignored these and headed towards the doors that led back down to the lower levels.

While they were running, Aeris very suddenly came to a complete stop right in the middle of the room. Noticing that she had stopped the others all came to a stop in front of her and turned back to look at her. Aeris was holding her staff gently in her hands, looking down at the ground with a look of concern as though she had suddenly remembered something important.

"Cloud..." Aeris whispered softly under her breath. She sounded concerned about something, and she closed her eyes. "I just thought of something."

"...I'll wait for Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed suddenly, running forward towards Aeris. She put a hand on the young woman's shoulder reassuringly, and Aeris lifted her gaze to look at her. Tifa gave her a smile before she turned to everyone else behind her. "Everyone, get to the elevator!"

Slowly Aeris smiled, and nodded. Then she ran forward once again, letting Tifa's hand fall back by her side. Barret and Nanaki followed Aeris as she ran through the open door towards the elevators, leaving Tifa to stand guard at the door as she waited for Cloud.

As Aeris and her group ran around the corner and out of Tifa's sight, they came to a stop. They didn't know what kind of dangers would be awaiting them, and they knew they wouldn't be able to go back down the side stairs like they did coming up. It wouldn't take long for people to discover the events on the higher levels, and they needed to be prepared.

"Hmm, it's going to get pretty ugly from here on," Aeris commented, voicing the thoughts that everyone was thinking. "We should check on our equipment."

"Heeeeeeeeeeey, wait for us," called Naruto as he and Gaara ran to catch up. They stopped beside Aeris and looked at her. "You guys ready?"

They all nodded. Naruto smiled, did some hand seals and yelled, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Fox Contract." He slammed his hand onto the floor and a moderate amount of smoke appeared. When the smoke cleared an obsidian colored, 4 tailed fox the size of a pony was sitting on its haunches.

"Starscream? Is that you?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, Taisho-sama," said the fox.

"You got smaller,"

"I realized it would not be good if I came here in my original form so I changed my size. All foxes 4 tails and over can change size," replied Starscream.

"Oh,"

Meanwhile the others minus Gaara were staring in shock and wonder.

"What did you just do?" asked Aeris.

"I'll explain later but right now we need to get out of here," explained Naruto.

They nodded and headed off in the direction of the lifts. They all pilled in and Naruto pressed the down button. They all relaxed a bit, thinking that they had not been discovered.

As they stood silently in the lift, they were forced to jump violently as a loud booming sound came from above them. The group looked up, and jumped back in surprise as they saw the adjacent lift also coming down beside him at a rapid speed, only slowing when it came alongside the lift where Naruto and his team stood waiting.

Inside the lift was a large robot, clearly another of Shinra's defense monsters like the Roboguard and Airbuster soldier they had encountered previously. This was a robot that was built up of many powerful artillery weapons – guns, flamethrowers and the like. It looked like a very fearsome opponent, and was directly opposite them.

As the two lifts became level with one another, the robot in the other lift raised two large guns at the front of its monstrous form, and aimed them at the glass separating the two lifts. It opened fire and showered the glass with a stream of bullets. The glass shattered instantly, and a wave of cold air rushed into the lifts from the outside, making Naruto's hair whip around his face. He summoned his sword and held it ready, while Gaara, Aeris, Barret, Nanaki and the fox also prepared for battle.

AN: It might be a while before the next chapter comes out so hang in there. And keep it comming with the reviews. Untill next time.


	18. Chapter 18: Escape from Midgar

**Chapter 18: Escape from Midgar**

Naruto had an idea and went over it with Kyuubi. She agreed and Naruto threw his sword at the robot. The sword slammed into the central area and stayed there. But after a few seconds the blade started glowing a light blue as electric energy built up around it. Kyuubi, using her chakra, had booted up the lightning materia. The sword glowed for a few seconds more and then released the pent up energy. Electricity coursed its way through 'can opener ver. 3' dealing a lot of damage, but it wasn't enough.

The mobile armory fired a couple of rounds from its undamaged machine guns at Aeris. She was able to doge most of them but the rest skimmed past her arms leaving red, bleeding cuts. She suddenly brought her hands together and a green, shimmering mist appeared around her. The cuts instantly healed and she was ready again.

Meanwhile Naruto had summoned his sword to his hand and told the fox to attack its feet. It had done so by, with help from Nanaki, using his claws to slice through the joints to cripple the bot even further.

Tifa had melted the operating guns with a fire spell so now the bot was now officially fucked when Barret unloaded hundreds of bullets onto what remained. The robot shuddered for a second before crumbling in on itself.

But when the second bot came flying in Naruto had had enough. Charging both the lightning and the fire with chakra, the blade was covered in blue flames. Everyone, even the fox, looked on in wonder as Naruto jumped platforms and then jumped into the air. He swung his blade with such speed that an air pressure wave dragged behind the sword. The blade cut smoothly through the metal and split the bot in half that hung there for a millisecond before the air pressure behind the sword blasted the two halves out of the second lift where they sailed through the air for a few seconds before exploding in mid-air.

Naruto landed back in the first lift, extinguished the blue flames and clipped the sword back onto his back. He turned around to see everyone staring at him in awe.

"The next time I go up against a robot, I'll do more that blast it into the air," he said with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Everyone gulped and nodded slowly. They were extremely glad that they were not a robot.

The first of the two lifts came to a stop on the ground floor of the building, and its doors burst open. All at once a pile of charred and smoldering metal tumbled out onto the floor, completely destroyed.

The second lift then slowly landed on the ground floor and the doors calmly slid open, allowing Naruto and his group to step out, and put their weapons back into place now that their battle was over. Once out of the lift they looked around, just in case any Shinra soldiers were waiting for them. There were no soldiers waiting for them – in fact there was no one around at all. It was really no surprise to them that the rest of the Shinra Building had been evacuated considering what had been going on up on the higher floors, but it was a surprise that there were no guards waiting for them.

The fox looked at Naruto and said, "Is there anything you would have me do Taishou?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No, that will be all for know," and with that Starscream disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I'll go on ahead!" Barret announced to the others.

They watched as Barret ran towards the large double doors that led out of the building – the same doors he wanted to charge through on their way into the building. He couldn't destroy them, but he would now. As he reached the doors and began to open them, the loud, booming sound of gunfire made him jump and step back into the building. Through the glass of the doors he could see a platoon of Shinra soldiers standing outside, with their guns aimed at the doors waiting for the intruders to come out. In retaliation Barret raised his gun-arm and fired, but the bulletproof doors stopped his bullets. He eventually gave up and ran back to the group, who were waiting for him.

"Shit!" Barret swore loudly, waving his arms madly. "...Surrounded, huh? If I was alone this wouldn't be a thang but, I gotta reputation to protect."

Aeris stepped forward, placing her hand on her heart. "You all get out while you can," she said to them both regretfully. "It's not you they're after... it's me."

"Yeah, well that ain't happenin'" Barret said to her sternly, turning to her. "You got caught up in this over Marlene. Now, it's my turn to watch out for you!" He turned back towards the door and raised his gun-arm again. He aimed straight for the glass doors where the soldiers were waiting. "Okay, playtime's over for you jackasses..."

Aeris put her hands together on her chest, a smile on her face.

"...Thank you, Mr. Barret!" she exclaimed, truly grateful.

Barret's head snapped round sharply to look at her, his eyes angry once again. "Who you callin' Mr. Barret?" he demanded. "That don't sound right!" He turned to Naruto who was sniggering. "An' what are you laughing at!"

"Nothing! Nothing at all," he said as he stopped sniggering but the smile stayed where it was.

"Well then..." Nanaki interrupted suddenly, speaking for the first time in a while. He shook his head pitifully at the two. "If you are through talking may I suggest that we think of a way to get out of here?"

"Huh?" Barret asked. He scratched his head in bewilderment, before he finally remembered that their only exit was heavily guarded with soldiers and guns. He blushed a little. "Oh, oh yeah..." he said finally. He then looked at Nanaki. "You a cold man. Just like someone else 'round here I know."

Slowly Nanaki looked at Barret and bared his sharp teeth. "Did you say something?" he asked of Barret.

"Notta thing," Barret answered quickly, trying to cover his tracks. He then quickly changed the subject before Nanaki could speak again. "So what're we gonna do?" he asked.

"Barret!"

They all turned towards one of the twin set of stairs leading up to the first floor. They saw Tifa at the top of those stairs beginning to run down to them, but to their utmost surprise they saw that Cloud was not with her, and she was running down alone.

"Tifa!" Barret exclaimed, staring at Tifa as she ran down to them. "Where's Cloud?"

Tifa didn't answer the question, and as she reached the last few steps she jumped down to the ground floor. She ignored Barret and his group for the moment and looked around the area, seeming to be looking for something. She finally seemed to find it, for she suddenly began to run towards the other set of stairs at the other end of the ground floor, away from Barret's group. The young woman came to a stop beside the stairs and seemed to glance briefly behind it, before turning back to Barret and signalling for them to come over to her.

"Everyone, over here!" she called to them, continuing to wave at them.

Barret turned and shared a confused glance with Aeris and Nanaki, wondering what Tifa was going on about. She had seemed fairly insistent on staying behind to wait for Cloud, so it seemed completely strange that she should come running back to them without him. The shinobi however ran over to her.

"Huh?" Barret asked, scratching his head. "What's up? Where's Cloud?"

Tifa shook her head, exasperated. "I'll tell you later!" she called to them. "Hurry! Hurry!!"

"Yeah, she probably has an idea to get us outta here," called Naruto.

Without wasting any more time, Tifa turned and ran behind the stairs towards the back of the Shinra Building, where the car park was lying hidden. It was very quiet in this area of the Shinra Building, and their footsteps echoed as they walked quickly through to find a car they could use to escape. It was also very dark, with the only strong form of light coming from the tip of Nanaki's tail, which seemed to have its own strange glow.

The ghostly silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a revving engine from the floor above them, followed by the sound of a heavy thudding noise as something began to drive down the stairs directly above them towards the ground floor. This of course answered the question that Tifa didn't have the time to answer.

It was Cloud that was coming down the stairs at that moment, driving down on the back of a motorbike that he had stolen from the racks on the first floor. However instead of waiting for the lifts to take him and the bike down, he had decided to take the shortcut and ride straight down the stairs on the bike. He grasped onto the handles and revved the engine, looking down towards the ground floor.

Tifa finally saw what she was looking for and stopped running, looking to the right. In the middle of the car park there was a small truck with an open back, which looked as though it had been left unlocked. She signaled to the others standing behind her, before she ran towards the truck.

Naruto fished out the yellow scroll and indicated Gaara to do the same thing. They both spread them out on the floor and Naruto pushed chakra into both scrolls. Two puffs of smoke enveloped the scrolls and when they cleared two metal boards were lying on the floor. Naruto stepped on one and sent chakra through his boots into the board. It instantly started hovering about 10cm off the ground. Gaara did the same and soon both were ready to go.

At the same time Cloud had just reached the bottom of the stairs and pulled on the handles of the bike, swerving it sharply to the right as he headed towards Tifa and her group as they opened the truck and began to pile in. Aeris climbed into the seat beside the driver's seat, while Barret jumped into the back of the truck. Tifa turned as Cloud drove up and came to a stop for a few moments behind them before he drove off, leaving Tifa to jump into the driver's seat of the truck and revved the engine. The truck began to move, and Nanaki had to quickly jump in before the truck sped off without him. Naruto and Gaara sped off until they were behind them.

Cloud took charge in leading the truck and boarders out into the main hall of the ground floor, before making a sharp turn and heading back up the stairs towards the first floor. It was far too dangerous to simply drive out of the main doors for they would have been shot within moments of making it outside. That left them with only one option – to take the soldiers by surprise.

Both Tifa and Cloud pushed the engines to the max as they powered their way back up the stairs towards the first floor. The ninja fed more chakra into the boards to make them go faster. As they reached the floor above the two vehicles swerved around and came to a final stop facing the back wall of the Shinra Building, which was entirely made of glass. Through it they could see the outside, and the long road that ran from the Shinra building and down by the edge of the Sector 5 plate. It was one of the only single roads that ran all the way down to the outer edge of Midgar, and this was the route they would need to take to escape safely from Shinra.

Naruto pulled out his phone and selected a song. (The Prophecy by Dream Evil). A fast paced heavy metal song, it gave off a feeling of smashing anything that gets in their way.

Cloud, anxious to go, revved the bike and drove through the glass, jumped over the soldier grunts and slammed onto the highway. The three wheeler truck wasn't far behind and then Naruto and Gaara followed. By this time the soldiers had gotten over their scare and confusion and they were now scrambling to their own bikes.

Seeing that the Shinra soldiers were catching up to them, Barret stood up in the back of the car and took aim at the soldiers that were approaching. He then let loose a string of bullets onto the advancing soldiers. Since he was firing from a moving vehicle many of his bullets missed their targets and instead skimmed the road at the foot of the motorbikes, creating a line of fire and light around them. The bullets that did hit their target recoiled on the surface of the bikes or hit the soldiers themselves, sending them flying back away from them. Yet there were many more soldiers coming after them, and Barret couldn't stop them all.

"We'll take care of this," yelled Naruto over the wind. Naruto and Gaara had gotten used to the boards so it was easy to slow down. "Cloud, you handle anyone that gets past us," he called to Cloud. He looked back and nodded.

"Ok, let's do this!" said Naruto with enthusiasm in his voice as he pumped chakra into the fire and bolt materia. The sword started glowing again and blue flames licked up the sides, every now and then a spark would jump from the blade. Gaara readied his weapon as well. He pushed chakra into his ice materia. They then slowed down to where the soldiers were. One of the younger ones thinking he could knock Gaara off tried to ram into him. Gaara swerved around him and pulled the trigger. An ice blue streak pelted out of the barrel and when it impacted the whole bike froze almost straight away. The bike started crumbling apart and the road grinded the pieces to fine ice dust.

Naruto drove his sword into a bike and ripped it out sideways making the bike swerve and slam into the wall where it burst into flames. At the same time two bikes got through the two ninja and sped up towards the others.

Cloud turned his head back and looked behind him to see a couple of soldiers catching up. Being careful not to let himself fall he quickly turned around on the bike and began to head back.

"Allow me to help," said Nanaki.

As Cloud passed by on the bike, Nanaki got up and jumped from the back of the car and landed on Cloud's bike, digging his claws firmly into the ridges to keep his balance steady. Cloud then drove forward towards the Shinra soldiers, with Nanaki riding on the back.

The Shinra soldiers stared through their helmets as they saw the opposing bike approaching them. They then jumped violently as they realised what was happening, but by then it was too late.

Nanaki stood up on the back of the bike; his front paws on Cloud's shoulders for support, and bared his teeth as he focused on his target. Suddenly he lifted his head up high and howled loudly, and at the same time a single ball of Materia that was hidden behind the clip on his head began to glow. A ball of fire exploded around the motorbike closest to them, and it swerved to the side. It struck the side of another motorbike that was travelling alongside it, and both of the motorbikes skidded across the road and tumbled over, their drivers falling from their seats.

It was then that Nanaki took his chance and dived from the back of Cloud's bike and onto the road. There he charged forward and jumped up onto the next bike and began to attack the Shinra soldier with his teeth and claws.

While he was busy, Cloud drove on. He reached back with one hand and drew his sword from behind him. Once ready he held it out level at his side, and then pushed as much power as he could into the bike's engine. He zipped forward down the road, and the Shinra soldiers did not have enough time to move aside out of the way. Cloud sped past on his bike, and soldier after soldier were thrown from their bikes as the sword slashed past them, knocking them off to the ground.

Naruto and Gaara were busy slashing and shooting the other bikes but more came and one slipped passed the defenders. He drove up alongside the truck until he was level with the driver's seat where Tifa was driving. He then proceeded to slam the bike into the side of the truck, trying to force Tifa off the road. With each slam the truck moved further to the side, towards the deep gauge that ran between the plates. Tifa kept her hands firmly on the steering wheel, trying her hardest to keep the truck on the road.

"Lean back!" Aeris said suddenly beside her.

Tifa did as she was told and leaned back in her seat. Aeris pulled out her staff and thrust it through the open window. The staff broke through the soldier's helmet and prevented the soldier from getting any closer. She then pulled out the staff and hit the soldier around the head. The blow stunned the soldier just enough to make him fall back away from the car, where Barret finished the job and fired his gun at him.

After that the soldiers suddenly began to fall away, giving the group a clear run on. Nanaki jumped back onto Cloud's back as he swerved round and headed back up after the truck. Naruto and Gaara accelerated back to the truck.

They soon found out the reason for the soldiers pulling back. Coming down the road after them was another of Shinra's large defense robots – much fiercer and more equipped than any robot they had seen before. This robot was equipped with all kinds of machinery, including a very fearsome flamethrower that they could just about see beneath its body. It was also able to transform and change its shape to reveal this flamethrower, as well as its other weapons.

Tifa glanced over at the wing mirror and spotted the large robot coming rapidly down the road after them, coming close behind Nanaki and Cloud. For a brief moment the robot passed Cloud and Nanaki, but Cloud pushed his vehicle harder and quickly overtook it once again, driving fast to catch up with the truck as it passed the final curve towards the end of the road, which was a dead-end. With nowhere else to turn, Cloud turned the bike sharply and skidded to a stop at the end, right beside the truck. He dismounted along with Nanaki and turned back towards the road.

As soon as Naruto saw this he yelled out, "FUCKING ROBOT!!! I'LL RIP IT APART!!!"

'Kyuubi, can you charge the sword with some of your chakra?' he asked.

'**Can do,'**

As Kyuubi was pushing her chakra into the sword Naruto was doing exactly the same thing. The result was a sword glowing white while black flames with a gold outline flickered around the brightly shining sword. Naruto charged at the robot and brought his sword around for a mighty swing.

"WRATH OF THE SUN GOD!!!"

A huge black, burning shockwave smashed into the robot, tearing it apart and flinging the burning pieces into the air. What remained of it burned black flames in front of them.

A full five minutes passed by while everyone watched in silence as the Shinra robot burned in front of them. It was quite a somber silence as they all stood and stared, weapons still in hand. No one could say anything right then, and could only contemplate what they were going to do next. There were no more Shinra soldiers coming after them – the robot was their last defense.

Right then they were all thinking about the events that had taken place inside Shinra Headquarters during the last twelve hours or so. So much had already happened that they had barely taken the time to stop and reflect on it. It had all began with the destruction of the Sector 5 reactor, which had been a trap to lure them in. Next was the terrible destruction of Sector 7, their home. And of course, lastly, there had been the journey into the Shinra Building to rescue Aeris that had led to the death of many people, including President Shinra. Everyone was taking a few moments to reflect on all of this.

"Well, what do we do now?" Barret asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had taken over them.

No one answered him – they were still thinking. Cloud then suddenly turned away from the flames and walked off towards the end of the road ahead of them, the others turning to watch him. The road abruptly came to an end just a few meters ahead of where they had stopped, with nothing else beyond. Perhaps Shinra could never just be bothered finishing the road, but it simply hung over the ground outside of Midgar. Once they passed this obstacle they were officially out of Midgar and hopefully safe from the clutches of Shinra, but Cloud knew that there were other dangers beside Shinra.

"Sephiroth is alive," he said gravely, his voice low and quiet. His fists were shaking slightly, but luckily no one noticed. He closed his eyes, remembering. "I... I have to settle the score."

Barret walked up and stopped beside him. "And that'll save the Planet?" he asked.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "...Seems like it," he replied.

"Well wherever you go Cloud, we'll follow," said Naruto. Everyone turned to him, questions burning in their minds except Gaara.

"I'll explain everything when we get to Kalm," said Naruto knowing that they couldn't keep their secret for long. Kyuubi agreeing in his head.

"Awright, I'm going!" Barret exclaimed loudly, raising his one good fist high to the sky with determination.

"I'll go too," Aeris announced suddenly, stepping forward towards the two. When they looked at her she put her hands almost shyly behind her back, and looked down at the ground. "...I have things that I want to find out."

"About the Ancients?" Cloud asked her.

Aeris closed her eyes. "...Many things," she replied simply.

Tifa then walked up to join them at the end of the road. "I guess this's goodbye, Midgar," she said.

They all turned and looked out at the land beyond Midgar's imprisoning boundaries. They could see the dried up, wasted land that surrounded the immediate border that was caused by the reactors sucking up all the Mako energy that was buried deep in the ground. There was nothing living in that dark black area now except monsters – wild monsters. Beyond the dark patch of dead land they could see the green of fresh land – land that the reactors had not reached just yet.

In the far distance, the sun was just beginning to rise – the long night was finally over and their journey was about to begin. Slowly but surely the sun began to rise up over the fall in the Eastern Mountains, and gradually began to push away the darkness of the night and replace it with the cool colors of dawn. It gave the group a sense of hope after the effects of the night, and they headed down to the ground filled with fresh energy, using a long metal cable that was hanging from the end of the road. One by one they climbed down the cable and dropped onto the ground, and looked back momentarily at Midgar.

The perimeter of Midgar was surrounded by a thick wall of glass that ran all around the city, only opening up in some areas to allow people through, although special keys or passes were needed to gain access. Midgar really did look like a prison from the outside.

As the last of the group finished climbing down the cable and dropped safely onto the ground, Nanaki turned to them all. "I'm going back to my hometown," he informed them. "I'll go with you as far as that."

"I guess this is the start of our journey," Tifa said, folding her arms. Her voice sounded almost solemn and even a little scared. Even as Cloud looked at her, he could see the concern in her face, as though she had something in the back of her mind that she couldn't quite shake off.

"You hate traveling?" he asked her.

Tifa turned her head and looked over at Cloud, as she tried to hide the worried look on her face. "...I don't know," she admitted. She managed a very brief smile. "But, I don't have anywhere else to go. So I guess it doesn't really matter whether I like to travel or not."

Beside her Aeris sighed heavily, and put her hands behind her back. "You know what?" she asked suddenly. "This is the first time I've ever left Midgar..."

Cloud turned to look at her and blinked. "Really?" he asked her, seeming a little surprised. "...You worried?"

Aeris looked back at him, also surprised. "A little," she answered finally. She ran her hand through her hair, and giggled a little. "...No, maybe a lot," she added as she giggled. She gave Cloud a slight wink. "But I have my bodyguard, right?"

Cloud blinked again. In response Aeris just smiled her usual cheerful, carefree smile, and then turned away to look back at Midgar, and the smile faded. Through those locked doors was Sector 5, and she could just about see the church through the rubble and waste that was gathered there. Beyond the rubble were the Sector 5 slums, where her mother Elmyra was.

Barret glanced back and saw where Aeris was looking. He turned to Cloud. "We told Aeris's mom to go somewhere safe," he said, and Aeris turned her head to look at him. "So Marlene should be safe, too."

"Yeah, she should be," agreed Cloud. "Then... Let's go!"

"We need a group leader for our journey," Barret declared loudly. He raised his arms and bared his gun-arm. "'Course only me could be the leader." He began to flex his large muscles to show off his strength and supremacy that made him the best candidate for leader.

Tifa and Aeris on the other hand, didn't look so convinced. "You think so...?" asked Tifa, seeming a little alarmed at the suggestion. She glanced at Aeris, who then walked forward and stood beside Barret, standing on her tiptoes so she could reach his face.

"I think we should take a vote."

All at once Barret stopped acting tough and stood frozen for a moment or two. "Fine…"

"I vote for Cloud," said Aeris.

"I vote for Cloud as well," agreed Tifa.

Nanaki turned to Naruto and said, "I vote for Naruto,"

"Same here," said Gaara.

Naruto, thinking that it would be good to get some leadership skills voted himself.

But Barret, who wanted to vote for himself, found himself trying to decide between Cloud and Naruto. He was leaning towards Naruto when the girls gave him a glare that promised pain and humiliation if he didn't vote Cloud. So having no choice he voted Cloud.

Cloud himself didn't vote.

Having a tie meant only one thing.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!!!"

And the winner was Naruto.

"Ok, let's head to Kalm. The others are there and we can strategize while we're there as well as explaining some things," decided Naruto. "We'll split up into groups,"

Straight away Tifa and Aeris moved to Cloud.

"No. We're not going to have any favoritism here," at this the girls (or at least Aeris) pouted. "Ok. Me, Gaara, Aeris and Nanaki in one group. Barret, Cloud and Tifa in the other."

"Why like that?" asked Aeris since it was obvious that she wanted to stick with Cloud.

"Well I'm a close range fighter, Gaara is a long range and defensive, Nanaki has speed in conjunction with his attacks and you are the healer. Barret is a long range and defensive, Cloud is a short range and Tifa is also a short range but if Aeris gives her the Restore materia she will be able to heal too."

No-one could find any flaws so they got into the groups.

"Besides, it's only till we get to Kalm," said Naruto. "Cloud, you go first."

Clouds group moved off. Naruto's group stayed around for a couple of minuets before moving out.


	19. Chapter 19: Truths Reveled At Kalm

**Chapter 19: Truths Reveled At Kalm**

For the good part of the day they traveled through a wasteland in all sense of the word. There was nothing living here. Nothing at all. It was really depressing and Naruto didn't like to be depressed. He wanted to do something to pass the time.

They were at this point not far from the grassland; about an hours walk. So Naruto decided to have a talk with a very beautiful vixen.

'Hey Kyuubi? You were going to give me some scrolls?'

'**Ah, that's right. I was. I was going to give you a scroll on your new bloodline limit and a instruction scroll on our summons. Was there anything else?"**

'I don't think so,'

'**You know what? I think its nice that you're trying to be someone you're not. You always acted dumb to make sure that no-one got any ideas. But now you are being yourself.'**

'I know. It feels great that I don't have to hide my true abilities. Its as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.'

Kyuubi didn't say anything but in the sword she smiled. She then did some hand signs and two scrolls, one gold with the kanji of the name of his bloodline limit written on the top and the other red with the words 'Kitsune Summon Instructions' also written on the top, pop into Naruto's hand. Gaara looked at him questioningly but Naruto mouthed 'Later' nodding his head to the others.

Naruto opened the bloodline limit scroll first.

* * *

_**The Basics Of Kikangan Or 'Eye of Time'**_

_The Kikangan is said to have originated from a warrior monk by the name of Namikaze Nozume. After years of meditating to reach full enlightenment he finally reached the plateau. However Gan, the god of sight, was moved by his perseverance and so he created and gave the Kikangan to Nozume._

_The Kikangan is just as old as the Byakugan but the bloodline itself is very different. It has the ability to control time to an extent. You can't go back in time. There are several stages to this bloodline, not like the Byakugan which only has one or the Sharingan which has four._

_**First Stage: **__A gold band covers up exactly one fourth of the iris. The band is centered around the pupil. This stage allows the user to slow down time to three quarters normal speed._

_**Second Stage: **__The gold band extends to exactly half of the iris. This stage allows the user to slow down time to half normal speed._

_**Third Stage: **__The gold band extends to exactly three quarters of the iris. This stage allows the user to slow down time to one quarter of normal speed._

_**Fourth Stage: **__The iris is completely gold and the user can stop time._

_The rest of the stages are listed in __**'The Advanced Stages Of The Kikangan'

* * *

**_

As Naruto read "Advanced Stages" he suddenly got an idea. The Rasengan. It had the potential to be so much more. Already it was a devastating jutsu but if he could imbed it with the elements then it would truly become the ultimate jutsu. The first one he would work on would be wind. What would he call it? He thought for a while before he got an answer.

'Rasengan Arts: Tempest'

'**What?'**

'I've decided that I'm going to expand on the Rasengan and make it an art instead of a single jutsu. The first on I'm going to work on is adding wind chakra to the Rasengan.'

'**That's a good idea. At the very least it will save you from boredom when we're walking to the next town and I can help you with element manipulation.'**

'Really! Thank you.'

* * *

As Naruto was hammering out the details for a new jutsu which would lead him to make the most devastating jutsu the universe had ever seen until science took over and the Nova bomb was invented, the group had moved away from the dead land surrounding Midgar and were in the lush green fields near Kalm.

After about an hour of wandering the fields the group finally came across the small. It was just past the lifeless fields that surrounded Midgar, to the northeast, and even from just a single glance it was clear that this town was the complete opposite of Midgar.

The first thing Naruto, Aeris, Gaara and Nanaki noticed as they entered the town was the difference in the air's scent and taste. In Midgar and the land surrounding it the air had been thick and heavy with the scent of metal, oil and rust, and there was no other natural life apart from the people that lived there, with the exception of Aeris's flower garden.

As they passed the lifeless fields and into the plains surrounding Kalm, they were hit with the fresh scents of life coming from the grass and flowers that were growing there, presently untouched by the suction of the reactors of Midgar. The grass was as green as anything, and the flowers were full of color and giving off beautiful scents into the air. There weren't even many monsters in this area.

The town of Kalm was exactly the same. The air was fresh and incredibly clear, with no smell of smog or metal or dirt, and each breath that they inhaled was cool and refreshing. It awoke the hidden depths of their minds and bodies that the thick air of Midgar had buried for so long.

Kalm itself was only a small, quiet town, just a little village near to the coast of the continent, unlike the city of Midgar that was a large productive city. This town was the complete opposite and looked in much better condition than Midgar was. There were many quaint little houses built around the town centre, many of them with two or even three floors, and each one was built out of beautifully painted brick and wood, and was in good condition.

All the major shops were built at the far end of the town centre on the top of a large platform that could be reached via a large set of wooden stairs, although they were only tiny shops, and probably didn't have much variety in their stock. Behind those shops there was an old mine where some of the older people worked, although that mine was pretty much run down by now. Even so the town wasn't poor and the people weren't living in shabby old houses, unlike the people of the slums in Midgar. In general Kalm had a much happier feel to it, and Naruto's group instantly felt their spirits rise as they entered the town.

"So this is Kalm?" asked Aeris, looking around. A gentle breeze blew through her hair, making it blow back behind her. She couldn't believe just how clear the air was in this town. It was a freshness she hadn't felt for a long time...

Naruto spotted the inn near the entrance. "Let's go check in," he said.

Everyone nodded and walked toward the building.

The inside of the inn was quiet, and there was only a single receptionist standing behind the desk, watching them as they entered. Naruto walked up to the desk and said, "A room for 7 people, please,"

The receptionist nodded and said, "The room is 150 gil a night."

Naruto fished out his moneybag and counted 150 gil made of notes and coins and handed the total to the receptionist. He smiled and replied, "Thank you. The room number is 06."

Naruto smiled back and said "Thank you. And if you see a big man with a gun arm and two other people with him enter here can you direct them to our room please?"

"Of course sir," replied the receptionist.

Naruto turned round and said, "Come on guys," and led the way.

They walked up the stairs and moved to the door that said in shinny numbers "06". Naruto opened the door and looked inside. The room was spacious enough for 8 people with four beds, three roll out mattresses and a couch big enough for someone to sleep on. The floor was polished dark red wood with a rug that had an intricate design on it, in the middle of the room. There was a table on the rug that was made with the same type of wood. Carved into the top of the table was a detailed map of the town. Naruto decided to wait around for a while and flopped down on the first bed he came across. The bed itself was something he had never experienced before. It was soft.

Naruto looked up to see the others already relaxing. Gaara was in a soft recliner in the corner, Aeris was sitting on a bench near the window and Nanaki was lying on the couch.

"I'm just going to go to sleep. Wake me when everyone is here."

* * *

Naruto awoke in his dreamscape. This time however, it was different. Instead of rolling, soft green hills and a bright blue sky it was a beach and the sun was setting, giving off deep and vibrant hues of red, orange and purple with a dark blue in the opposite side of the sky. A few streaks of cloud, highlighted by the disappearing light, drifted through the air. A soft wind ruffled his hair and clothes and the soft crash of waves at the shore gave him a sense of peace and serenity.

A soft lilting sound floated through the air and Naruto turned around to find Kyuubi playing a flute. Her eyes glinted in the light as she played. Yet again he was blown away by how beautiful she was. She was wearing the same yakuta she was the first time he saw her. The red trim was glowing in the sun and the tune she was playing was a very relaxing one.

The song ended and she said, "Like it?"

Naruto nodded, indicating that he did. Kyuubi smiled warmly. "My mother played it to me when I was young. Its how she got me to sleep at night."

"Well I was about to drift off," said Naruto. "So is there a reason I'm here or did you just want to say hi?"

"Not really. I just wanted to talk with you," she replied.

"Well I wanted to talk to you too," Naruto said rather hesitantly.

"What about?"

"You go first,"

"Well," the fox answered, "I just wanted to say that I'm glad to have met you,"

"Oh, thanks," grinned Naruto, feeling very warm for some reason. "I just wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind if in my soon-to-be new village, I trained them for your organization. That would save you the trouble of looking in the future. And preventing anymore accidents."

Kyuubi's eyes widened. "You would do that!"

"Yeah, I would," assured Naruto.

Kyuubi looked at him for a couple more seconds before hugging him. "Thank you so much. This means a lot to us,"

Naruto on the other hand was relishing the hug and didn't want it to stop. 'This feels really good,'

Kyuubi pulled away and suddenly they were looking into each other's eyes. They then realized the position they were in and pulled away quickly. At that time he was jerked back to the real world.

"Naruto! Get ya lazy ass out of bed and start talking!"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes a fraction and squinted at Barret. He was looking pissed off at the sight of Naruto relaxing for some reason.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to shout. I'm up," he mumbled. Even though he was grateful for the interruption there was some part that was growing everyday that was wishing it didn't happen.

As Naruto sat up on the bed he noticed that everyone, as well as Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, was looking at him expectantly. Even Gaara was looking at him.

Naruto glared at him and said, "You better help me with this Gaara,"

The blond looked around again and said, "Well, what do you want to know?"

Barret spoke up instantly. "What the hell are you? You're not human."

"I used to be, though I like what I am now. I am a kitsune hanyo,"

"A half-demon fox!" asked Tifa, a little shocked.

Naruto nodded and reviled his tail and fox ears and whiskers. Everyone looked on in shock (except Gaara) at this transformation. Eventually they got over their shock and started settling down.

"Where are you from?" asked Tifa as the second question.

"I'm from a place called Konoha in a different universe. Gaara is from a place called Suna in the same universe. We have been in ninja training since we were 9. Before this all happened, we had what we believed to be demons inside of us. The demon I held was sealed inside of me to save my village. Gaara was different. His demon was sealed inside of him in the hopes of turning him into a living weapon."

Naruto then gripped his sword and transferred chakra to the sword and in a puff of smoke was Kyuubi, her tails and ears also visible. Gaara did the same and Nibi was out with her cat tails and ears.

Kyuubi then explained the reason that Naruto and Gaara were here. By the time everything was explained, the group was now convinced that nothing could surprise them.

Barret turned to Cloud. "Now its your turn,"

Cloud then looked at everyone, took a deep breath and told his tale. He explained the incident in Nibelheim, the madness of Sephiroth, the creatures in the old Mako Reactor and Jenova. Every now and then Naruto and Gaara would look at each other noticing the gaps in his story.

When all was said and done they discussed there plan of attack. Cloud was confident that Sephiroth had moved away from Midgar but the only way to go on foot from Midgar was through Kalm, through the mountains to the chocobo fields. From there you had to cross a swamp to get to the cave that led you straight through the mountains. But after that they were clueless. Naruto suggested that everyone get some rest as they would be heading out in the morning. And with that statement Naruto turned around and went to sleep.

* * *

Naruto groggily opened his eyes and looked towards the window. By the light streaming through the window he guessed it was mid-morning. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It seemed that everyone was either downstairs or out in the town. Naruto then swung his legs over, stood up and walked to the door. Opening it he walked down the stairs and out of the building. Gaara was waiting for him.

"You ready to go? The others said they would wait for us at the town gate," he asked.

Naruto nodded before doing some exercises to warm his body up. After he finished he looked at Gaara and they both moved toward the town gate. When they got there the rest of the group was waiting but Cloud, Barret and Tifa were not there.

"You're finally awake. We decided that we're going to split up and meet up at the swamp, ok?" said Aeris.

Naruto agreed and they started walking east.

It was a fairly long journey across the Midgar Plains towards the eastern part of the continent. On their way they had to pass through a large valley that ran between two sets of mountains. The mountains to their right were the mountains that divided the whole of the continent, separating Midgar and Kalm from the other towns that lay hidden on the other side.

As they reached the mountains, the four stopped and turned to look behind them. In the far distance they could see Midgar – a solitary dark soul in the middle of the vast, dying land. It looked so alone where it stood, and they could only imagine the panic that would be sweeping through the citizens of the city now. The Shinra would probably be doing all they could to try and cover up the incidents of the tower, but who knew where the new Shinra President would be. He had flown off after his battle with Cloud, and Naruto got the feeling Rufus wouldn't be there for his father's funeral.

Aeris stepped forward and waved gently at the city. This was probably the last time she would see Midgar for a while, or her mother. She hoped that Elmyra had managed to get away from Midgar and was safe. As she stood there she got the feeling that Barret had also stood here and looked at Midgar, praying that little Marlene was also safe. When she was done looking she turned back to the Naruto, Gaara and Nanaki, and they headed off once again, saying goodbye to Midgar one final time.


	20. Chapter 20: A Chocobo Summoning Contract

**Chapter 20: A Chocobo Summoning Contract!**

Unfortunately their journey was not as easy as their journey to Kalm had been. A few monsters blocked their path as they went through the mountains, but they were easily dealt with. With each monster that went down, none of them could help but think of the capsules Cloud had told them about, wondering just how many monsters in the world the Shinra had actually produced.

They soon emerged from the valley and into the open plains in the eastern part of the continent known as the Choco Plains. They were called the 'Choco Plains' because they were reputed as being the number one breeding land for Chocobos. Of course Chocobos bred all over the world, but there were very few plains where the Chocobos were free to breed without much threat from hungry monsters.

As they entered the plains, they were surprised to see very few Chocobos running around like they had expected. The Chocobos they could see were few and far between, and certainly seemed to be keeping their distance from Naruto and the others. It was almost as though they were scared.

They continued on their way across the Choco Plains, eventually beginning to head south towards the mountains, for there were no other towns in that part of the continent except for a farm that was not too far away from where they were.

As they headed south they saw the mountains gradually drawing closer to them, and saw that the land surrounding the base of the mountains was different from the grassy plains they were standing in. The short blades of grass turned into a thick marsh covered in large stalks of dying weeds, shielding what lay hidden beneath them. One thing was for sure: it wasn't a very hospitable looking place.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa were already waiting for them there, standing at the entrance of the marsh and trying to see through the long weeds. The weeds were so tall they nearly towered over Barret, and were so thick that they couldn't see more than a few feet into the marsh.

"Yo, Naruto!" Barret called, turning as he heard Naruto and the others approaching. He nodded his head towards the marsh. "Looks we ain't goin' this way through. Don't look like nothin' could get through there."

"You don't suppose Sephiroth went through this marsh, did he?" asked Aeris. She sniffed deeply and a terrible stench from the marsh hit her nose. She curled her lip in disgust. The smell was terrible – it smelt of mud and dirt and who knew what else.

"Maybe," Cloud said, tapping his foot against the grass. "This is the only way I know that leads to the other side of the mountain. We'll have to cross…"

"At any rate, I don't believe it would be a good idea to cross the marsh on foot," said Nanaki. He walked past Cloud and Tifa, looking out towards the farm that stood a little way away. "Perhaps we should go there and see if there is any other way to cross the marsh."

The others all nodded in agreement, before they turned and headed off towards the farm. They walked away from the marshes in the direction of the farm, but Naruto remained at the edge of the marshes a few moments more, looking across the large plain of dying weeds towards the foot of the mountain.

He frowned. If Sephiroth had passed through this marsh he would of gone on foot. He couldn't be more than a day ahead. He quickly turned away from the marsh and began to run after the others. And as he ran off, a loud and agonizing cry of pain and anguish echoed from deep within the marshes, but Naruto didn't hear it.

* * *

The farm that they had spotted was actually a Chocobo Farm, owned by an old man and his grandson. The farm was built specifically to tame and hire out Chocobos for travellers wanting to cross the marshes or travel towards Midgar. The land that the farm was built on had once been a battleground a number of years ago during the last war. The consequences of that battle had led to the ground around the farm becoming lush, and Chocobos began to breed there. Thus the farm was founded, and Chocobos flourished.

They soon left the marshes behind them and headed up to the main farmhouse. The door had been left wide open, and they could hear the sound of muttering inside. Slowly Naruto walked through the open door, leaving the others outside to wait (Aeris was already busy petting one of the other Chocobos in the pen).

Once inside, Naruto could see the source of the muttering. It was coming from an old man – Choco Bill, the owner of the farm – who was standing in the kitchen beside the sink, talking quietly to himself. He didn't notice Naruto at first, and carried on talking to himself about Chocobos. Naruto coughed loudly to get his attention. The old man looked up and took off his hat, squinting through his eyes to see Naruto. He wasn't old, in age, but years of weathering from his farming had aged his skin.

"Thinking of crossing the marshes?" he asked with a country accent.

Naruto blinked. He wasn't wasting any time in getting to the point. "Yeah," he replied.

"Hmm," Old Choco Bill said, nodding his head. He put his hat down on the table. "Then it'll probably be safer for you to get a Chocobo," he told him. He walked over to the kitchen window, which overlooked the marshes by the mountain, and looked out at them. "Then, you can zip through the marshes with the Chocobo. It's the only way to avoid being attacked by the Midgar Zolom."

"Midgar Zolom…?" asked Naruto, confused.

Choco Bill nodded again and turned away from the window. "It's a serpent-like creature 30 feet tall!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms to emphasise the size of the creature. "It picks up on footsteps that enter the marshes… And then, BAM! It attacks!" He slammed his hand on the table, making Naruto jump.

"By the way," Choco Bill added suddenly. Naruto stopped and looked back at him. "There was another person heading towards the Marshes. Without a Chocobo, the Midgar Zolom probably got him." He crossed his arms and looked up thoughtfully. "It was a man in a Black Cape."

That caught Naruto's attention. He stared at Choco Bill. At least that confirmed his suspicions – Sephiroth HAD crossed the marshes and was heading to the other side of the continent. He also got the feeling that Sephiroth was not going to have any trouble handling the Midgar Zolom, however big it was. With this piece of info gathered he walked back outside.

"Wark!" one of the Chocobos squawked at Naruto as he walked past the pen. Naruto stopped and looked up. The Chocobo walked over and stuck its head over the bar, leaning over as close to Naruto as it could reach. It flicked its yellow head back. "Wark? Warkwark? Wark?"

Naruto blinked. He was completely baffled by the Chocobo's sudden interest in him, but he wasn't sure what the Chocobo was asking of him. The Chocobo wouldn't give up though. It stamped its feet against the sandy floor of its pen and flicked its head back and forth, demanding an answer.

'Kyuubi, translation?'

'**He seems to know that you're not of this world and is honored to meet you. He also says that he's been expecting you. Beats me how though. Try saying "Wark?"'**

Naruto cleared his throat and said "Wark?"

The chocobo squawked softly at him for a couple of seconds.

'**He said he got word from the summoning world that you would be coming by and would need help. Say "Wark waark wark warkwarkwark wark wark,"'**

Naruto repeated the sentence which according to Kyuubi was "Help would be gladly appreciated,"

"Wark-" it said.

All at once all of the Chocobos in the enclosure fell silent, and Naruto and the others stared. Then, all at once, the Chocobos suddenly began to dance. Each and every Chocobo standing in the pen suddenly began to do the exact same things – bobbing their heads, fluttering their wings, jumping off the ground and landing daintily back on the ground again. It was a peculiar sight to see – Chocobos dancing in unison. Suddenly the leader it seemed started glowing a faint green and a lot of small green lights rose from the ground. They all compressed together to form a scroll. It then floated into Naruto's hands. Naruto looked up at the bird and he bowed. The chocobo bowed back and then wandered off.

"What is it?" asked Tifa.

Naruto squatted on the ground and rolled open the scroll. When it was fully open a small red ball rolled out off the paper. It was a summoning materia. Looking closely he saw a small chocobo with what looked like a small pink thing on its back. Looking back to the scroll he then recognized it as a summoning contract.

Replying Tifa's question was met with another question as to what that was.

"A summoning contract allows you to summon the animal the scroll is binded too. You also don't need materia," replied Naruto as he bit his thumb and touched blood to his other fingers before signing the contract. The scroll then shrunk and Naruto, as he was now the scroll carrier, slipped it into his pocket. He then did a couple of hand seals and, making sure to think about the chocobo and put enough chakra to summon the boss into it, slammed his hand into the earth yelling, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A big cloud of smoke rose up from his hand and spread out, only for the cloud to thin and disperse to reveal a large chocobo. This one was different from the others in the pen. Speaking of others they had now gathered at the fence and were looking at the new chocobo. There were two big differences between them. The big one had some sort of armor on him, covering most of his head, body and tail. The armor was streamlined to perfection for as little air resistance as possible. The feet were encased in gold metal claws. The legs were also wrapped in shiny metal. He defiantly gave off a feeling of a ruler of some sort. The last difference was that his feathers were not yellow but gold.

The big chocobo looked at Naruto and said, **"Ahh, so you're the one who's going to rid this world of the terrible evil we have all sensed. My subordinates have been worried for some time now."**

"The terrible evil is Shin-Ra, right?" asked Barret.

"**Shin-Ra is the least of your worries at the moment. The one called Sephiroth is who you should be concerned about."**

"Sir, we are in need of transport through the marshes to get through the mountains to the other side. We were wondering if you could help us, please," asked Naruto.

"**Don't worry, I'll lend you some of my subordinates." **He then squawked loudly and three puffs of smoke appeared. When the smoke cleared there stood three strong looking chocobos.

"**Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to attend to," **And with that he poofed away.

"Sir, we will transport you through the swamp. My name's Myifee. The chocobo to my left is Heppe and the chocobo to my right is Jansen," said the chocobo in the middle. The one called Jansen started whining.

"Man, why did Lord Chobi have to summon me! I was entertaining a couple of chicks. Man they were hot. It's not fair!"

"Oh put a cork in it," said Heppe, "we only have to carry these guys to the other side of the swamp. It won't take very long,"

"You're one to talk. I bet you want to go back to your lovely wife, Inphyy. Why she chose you I have no idea," Jansen shot back.

"Enough guys. You," Myifee looked at Jansen, "stop whining. And you," he looked at Heppe, "don't give him a reason him to whine." He then turned back to Naruto and apologized.

"I'm sorry for their bickering. They may fight a lot, but they're very fast. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah we're ready to go," he turned to the others. "Lets go guys,"

They all nodded and started drifting to the chocobos. After some clambering they were settled. Naruto and Gaara were on Myifee. Cloud and Aeris were on Jansen and Barret and Tifa were on Heppe. Nanaki had already clamed that he didn't need a chocobo. Once they were ready, they headed back towards the marshes close to the foot of the mountains, and stopped beside them. The marshes were deadly silent and eerie, and now, mounted on the Chocobos, they could see clearly over the top of the grass. It was a field of grey, seeming to sway and flutter like sand blowing and swirling in the breeze. There was another scent in the air now, they noticed, and it made Nanaki wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"Man what is that god awful stench?" asked Jansen.

"Its the smell of blood," Nanaki said, growling deep in his throat.

"Nanaki, are you sure you're all right running through here?" Aeris asked, concerned. "I don't like the look of this marsh."

"Do not worry about me," Nanaki assured her. "The smell might be repulsive, but I am a fast runner. You run ahead, and I will follow you through."

"Okay," said Naruto. "Let's go."

* * *

An eerie, sombre silence spread through the group as they stood at the foot of the mountain that would lead them to the other side. Their eyes were open wide, their pupils dilated, as they looked on in horror at the sight that lay before them. As they had travelled silently through the marshes they had wondered why it had been so quiet, so easy, until they emerged from the thick clump of reeds and seen it. It had been so easy… because there was no threat anymore.

Before them lay the Midgar Zolom, the dreaded serpent that lived in the marshes. It was as Choco Bill had said – a serpent about 25 feet high. The Zolom was upright, to a point, with its heart pierced on the top of a large, ten-foot stick embedded in the earth. Its head hung limp behind it, its mouth wide open to reveal its awful teeth, a pool of blood around it. More blood trickled down its body where the stick had pierced it, and also ran down the stick towards the ground. Now they could understand why the Chocobos in the Choco Plains were so timid – they had sensed death approaching.

"Would you get a load of that!" exclaimed Jansen.

Naruto climbed off Myifee's back, and walked slowly towards the Midgar Zolom. As Naruto neared the stick he pulled off one of his gloves and softly touched the blood that was still riding down the stick, although it was slowing down now. The blood was still warm on his fingers.

"Did Sephiroth… do this…?" he asked aloud, looking up once again at the terrifying corpse of the snake.

"Amazing…" Tifa gasped in awe. She had never seen anything like it – a beast as large and as feared as the Midgar Zolom had been taken down by just one person. Then… Sephiroth was not an ordinary person.

"That Sephiroth guy's pretty strong, I'd say," said Barret.

"Our enemy is someone that could do this…?" Aeris asked, her face pale.

A sudden wave of nausea hit her and she quickly slid off Jansen's back. She ran a few feet away and fell to her knees, pressing her face close to the earth against the beautiful, living stalks of grass. She inhaled deeply, inhaling the energizing scent of something alive and away from the sickening stench of blood. She opened her eyes as she felt something nuzzling against her, and she looked up to see Nanaki's face close to hers. He looked at Aeris through his soft, gentle eyes. The look of those eyes made a small smile appear on Aeris's face. She put her arms gently around Nanaki's neck and felt the warmth of his fur against her skin. When she was done she released Nanaki and nodded her head, and stood up.

"It's a power that we should respect…" Nanaki said.

Gaara was silent as he got off Myifee and looked up at the giant serpent corpse.

Barret and Tifa climbed off Heppe. Naruto turned to Myifee and said, "Ok, this is where we part for now,"

"Ok, call us when you need transport again. Just call out our names when you're summoning us," he replied. And with that he and the others poofed back to the summoning world.

A cave was built into the side of the mountain close to the Midgar Zolom's corpse. They moved as a group passed the bleeding body, and Aeris tried hard not to look at its frozen open eyes as she walked past. She walked quickly passed it and stayed close to Tifa and Cloud, until they had passed safely through the open hole and into the Mythril Mines.

Before the use of Mako energy came into fruition, the only energy source that was available was that of Mythril, dug up from mines within mountains like the one they were going through right then. Every wall, path and ledge had once been heavily loaded with Mythril, but now many of the walls were just plain old rock now. There were still some traces of Mythril left in small pits, but other than that it had been dug dry of all Mythril. Now many of the Mythril mines were abandoned. Everything had been replaced by the apparently abundant Mako energy.

Most of the monsters hiding in that cave were nocturnal, but there were a few that weren't. In particular there was a very peculiar species that looked kind of like a crab, crawling across the walls of the mines and looking down at Naruto and his group with hungry eyes. Yet they dared not approach a group so large.

It was a very solemn silence that ran between them as they walked on through the mines. The only sounds came from the echo of their footsteps, or the echo of monster feet tapping against the walls as they watched the group pass through. Their minds were trailing back to the death of the Shinra President and many of the people in the Shinra building, and then to the death of the Midgar Zolom. Both were horrific murders unlike anything they had ever seen, and it was just a small piece of Sephiroth's extended power.

They moved on to the last part of the mine, where a large tree had grown inside, much to their surprise. Its roots were growing all over the place, thick but spread out, winding around the rocks and even bursting through the walls. They were all so silent they hardly even noticed the sound of footsteps heading their way from the ledge above, or the shadow that stopped over them.

"Just a second!" came a voice.

The group stopped and looked up towards the base of the tree, which was positioned on the ledge above by the exit of the mine. Sunlight was shining in from the exit and highlighting the silhouette of Rude as he stood on the edge of the ledge, looking down at them.

Aeris looked up. "By any chance, are you…?" she asked, unable to see Rude clearly.

"Do you know who I am?" Rude asked. He was still wearing his shades, even in the shadows of the mine.

"From the Turks, right?" asked Cloud.

Rude nodded, seeming impressed that they recognised the Turks when they saw them. "Well, if you know, then this won't take long," he said, folding his arms superiorly. "It's difficult to explain what the Turks do…"

Cloud also crossed his arms. "Kidnapping, right?"

Rude looked down at him silently. "To put it negatively…" he said finally, and almost quite sombrely. "You could say that. …But, that's not all there is to it anymore." He seemed about to say something else, but he suddenly stopped and turned aside, falling silent once again. "… …" The others watched him curiously. He was very different to Reno. The Turks came in all shapes and sizes, they figured.

"Sir!" came a woman's voice.

The group and Rude all turned and looked up towards a higher ledge above them, where a woman was standing. It was clear from her appearance that she was also a Turk – she had the same blue uniform that Rude, Reno and Tseng all wore. She had short blonde hair that was swept to one side, and a fierce, determined expression.

"It's all right, Rude!" the woman said formerly, standing firm on the rocks. "I know you don't like speeches, so don't force it!"

Rude didn't even give a flicker of a smile. "…Then Elena, explain."

The Turk known as Elena nodded and looked down at Naruto and his group. The way she stood made it clear that she was not very experienced and was trying to assert her authority over them, and not to much success either.

"I'm the newest member of the Turks, Elena," she said, introducing herself. She then looked at Naruto. "Thanks to what you did to Reno, we're short of people.. Although because of that, I got promoted to the Turks… In any case, our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed. And try to stop you every step of the way. Wait a minute, it's the other way around… You're the ones that are getting in our way." She scratched her head and turned away, puzzled.

"…Elena. You talk too much."

Elena snapped round and looked down behind Rude, where Tseng walked up from the exit. A wave of red spread across Elena's face as she burned inside, her heart pounding in embarrassment. "Mr. Tseng!" she exclaimed.

Tseng stopped beside Rude and gently pushed his black hair away from his eyes, looking up at the blushing Elena. "No need to tell them about our orders," he told her simply and unemotionally.

Still, Elena continued to blush. "Sorry… Tseng."

Tseng slowly nodded his head. "I thought I gave you other orders," he said to her. Elena looked away for a second, the red glow in her cheeks growing ever stronger, and trembled a little. Tseng sighed and shook his head pitifully, before signalling for her to go. "Now go," he ordered. "Don't forget to file your report."

"Oh! Right!" the young Turk exclaimed. She turned back towards Rude and Tseng and saluted formerly. "Very well, Rude and I will go after Sephiroth, who's heading for Junon Harbour!"

In Naruto's group, Tifa and Aeris giggled slightly at the Turk's mistake, but Naruto snorted. Elena looked at them in bewilderment, wondering what she had said to make them giggle so. She was about to snap at them to shut their mouths, when she saw Rude slowly shaking his head and Tseng looking at the floor, holding his head in his hands.

"…Elena," Tseng whispered sadly. "You don't seem to understand."

Elena blinked, clearly still confused. With a flash she remembered her exact words, and her face burned once again. "Oh!" she exclaimed, shifting uncomfortably on the rock she was standing on. "I'm, I'm sorry…"

"…Go. Don't let Sephiroth get away."

"Yes, sir!" said Elena and Rude together. Elena then turned and ran back through the cave she had come from, desperate to get away before her face literally burst into flames from the embarrassment of messing up in front of her own boss. Rude was about to leave when he stopped as though he had remembered something, and turned back to Naruto and his group.

"…Reno said he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him healed," he said, looking specifically at Naruto as he spoke. "He wanted to show his affection for you all… With a new weapon." He then turned and nodded to Tseng. Tseng nodded back, and Rude ran out of the exit. Once he was gone, Tseng stepped up to the edge and looked down at them.

"Well, then…" he began. He stopped suddenly as he saw Aeris standing between Cloud and Tifa. For a moment there was a flicker of softness in his eyes, which he quickly pushed away. "Aeris… Long time no see. Looks like you got away from the Shinra for a while, now that Sephiroth reappeared."

Aeris narrowed her green eyes fiercely. "…So what are you saying?" she asked of him, sounding angry. "That I should be grateful to Sephiroth?"

"No…" Tseng replied, his own voice sounding a little sad at Aeris's anger. "Well, I won't be seeing too much of you, so take care."

Aeris tilted her head to the side. "…Strange, hearing that from you."

Tseng turned away from them and headed towards the door, hiding the look he had on his face. He then stopped again. "Well then, stay out of Shinra's way," he said instead. Before Aeris could say anything else he quickly walked on and out of the mine, leaving Naruto's team alone in its dark corridors. Aeris looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet.

By the time they finally left the Mythril Mines there was no sign of the Turks, although there were the tracks of a vehicle outside the exit, heading off away from the mine and winding around the Condor Plains into the distance. They continued to move on as a group across the Condor Plains, this time a little chirpier now they had left the dank, dreariness of the abandoned mine behind and were walking through the sunlight. Thanks to Elena's naivety and inexperience with the Turks, she had accidentally given away their next location. Cloud had somewhat expected that Sephiroth would be heading to Junon – it was the only place on the continent that allowed transport to the other continent. So it was clear that Sephiroth was planning to go across the ocean, and Cloud would follow him every step of the way.

Naruto looked at Cloud and muttered, "At leased he's not as bad as Sasuke."

It was easier to take the direct route to Junon – going in pretty much a straight line towards the shore, and passing through a nearby forest towards the final stretch that led to the port town of Junon. They had to be careful as they walked through the winding paths through the forest – it was not a large forest, but Cappawires and Formulas, vicious plant and bird beasts that were no strangers to attacking unwary travellers inhabited it. The problem lay mainly with the Cappawires – they looked so much like ordinary plants it was almost impossible to distinguish them from the rest of the forest wildlife.

Yet, as it turned out, it was neither the Cappawires nor the Formula birds that they had to be wary of. As they continued to walk through the forest, they were completely unaware of something stalking them, following them cautiously through the treetops. It trailed them throughout the forest – a sly shadow preparing to strike.

It was Nanaki who noticed it first. His keen hearing caught the sound of shuffling amongst the treetops, something that was not the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. He stopped suddenly and fell silent, his body not moving at all, and his ears twitching gently round to focus solely on the sound.

The stalker froze, poised on a branch above him. The stalker held his breath, trying not to make a sound that would give him away. Then, very cautiously, he slowly backed off into the shadows of the leaves, and out of sight.

"What is it?" Naruto asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Everyone stopped and turned to Nanaki.

Nanaki continued to look around the treetops, his sharp eyes focusing on the movement of every leaf on every branch. He sniffed at the air and sure enough, there was a scent in the air that did not belong to any monster. "We're being followed," he said in reply.

With a sudden bust of speed Nanaki spun round and dashed off into the trees and out of sight. Naruto and the others stayed where they were, confused. They too began to look around, but they could not hear, see or smell anything rather than the fragrance of the forest. They couldn't even hear Nanaki now, and the silence was extremely uncomfortable.

Moments later a piercing scream rang through the forest and everyone turned sharply to the bushes nearby. They rustled loudly before suddenly parting, and someone ran out.

It was a girl no more than sixteen years old, and was dressed in an outfit that none of them had ever seen before. She looked like some sort of ninja or warrior, dressed in a tight green sleeveless top that stopped just on the diaphragm, and a pair of thick white shorts that were perfect for running in. Her left arm was protected by a long white panel that was used as a shield, attached to her body by hooks around the palm of her hand and a piece of armor attached to her shoulder. Her other arm was encased in a band rising up to her upper arm, and an armlet around her wrist. On her feet were boots with straps attaching them to her shorts. Her hair was short and dark brown, with a band tied around her forehead and two long strips resting down her back. What was most amazing about her was her weapon. It was a four-point Shuriken – a ninja's weapon. It was a deadly weapon when in the hands of the skilled, and from the looks of her she probably was.

"Yeah, one of our kind. A ninja. I didn't know there were any ninja's here?" exclaimed Naruto.

Moments after the girl came tumbling out of the forest, Nanaki came dashing out. The girl jumped back in a fright, gripping her Shuriken tightly in her hands. Nanaki looked up at her and snarled fiercely.

"Hey! Back off, you stupid mutt!" the girl snapped, waving her Shuriken in front of her in an attempt to keep Nanaki from getting closer to her.

"This girl's been following us ever since we entered the forest!" Nanaki growled.

Everyone turned and looked at the girl with interest. She was really no more than a child, and couldn't see any sense in her wandering around the forest by herself. She was clearly not from this continent, that much was certain. The way she dressed and her strong, aggressive accent gave that away.

The girl looked around and, seeing that she was surrounded, quickly spun round and made a dash for the trees. She zipped past Tifa as she ran, quickly reaching out to the girl before pulling away again and making a break again for the trees. Before she could get away Barret quickly grabbed her, picking her up with one arm and using his other harm to hold her still. The girl struggled, but Barret was far stronger.

"Hey! Lemme go!"

Tifa checked herself over. She glanced over at her armlet, and saw the empty spot where her piece of Fire Materia had once been. "She stole my materia!" Tifa exclaimed, showing Cloud her empty armlet. "The little thief stole it!"

"I am not a thief!" the girl protested fiercely. "I didn't steal anything! You probably just dropped it when you were walking. Now let go of me, before I get mad!"

Naruto, behind his back, made a Kage Bushin and sent it underground.

Meanwhile Cloud had narrowed his eyes. "A Materia Hunter, huh?"

Barret tightened his grip on the girl's arms. She struggled harder, but the pain was too much to bear and she was forced to open up her hands. Her Shuriken dropped harmlessly onto the forest floor, along with the green ball of materia. Cloud walked over and picked it up, holding it in front of the girl's face.

"I think this belongs to us," he said.

The girl froze, realising that she had been caught out. She looked into Cloud's eyes before looking away, quickly thinking about her situation. Eventually, she looked up again. "Alright, so maybe I did steal it," she admitted. "But you should keep a tighter grip on your possessions! It's not my fault if they happen to 'slip' into my hands."

Cloud turned away from the girl and threw the materia back to Tifa, who placed it back in her armlet, giving the girl a fierce glare as she did so. The young girl sighed.

"Okay, you got your materia back," she said. She tilted her head back and glared up at Barret. "Now, let me go, you big DOPE! You're hurting me!"

Barret looked over to Cloud, who nodded. He then threw the girl down onto the ground, and she rolled over onto her knees. She stayed there for a second, before she suddenly began to chuckle. Her chuckle got louder until it attracted the attention of the group. She slowly turned to them, still on the floor, a wide grin on her face.

"One thing you should always remember," she said. "Is never let go of the Materia Hunter!"

She suddenly zipped up and darted forward, incredibly fast. Barret didn't even have time to dodge as she ran past, snatching the materia from his gun-arm as she passed and ran off to the edge of the clearing, laughing as she did so. When she got to the edge she turned round and pulled a face at them all. "Looks like I have the last laugh," she said as she tossed the materia into the air and was just about to catch it when she heard a voice underneath her.

"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!"


	21. Chapter 21: Arrival At Junon Harbor

**Chapter 21: Arrival At Junon Harbor**

"AHHH! HEEEEELLLLLPPP! HEEEEEELLLLLPPP!"

Everyone was looking at her while trying not to laugh. The young girl stopped screaming and looked up at them, her eyes narrowing.

"Are you going to get me out of here?" she asked. For as you see Naruto's clone used that jutsu to pull her underground so that only her head was poking out from the ground.

"Now why should we do that? You stole our materia. No, I think I should just leave you there," said Naruto.

"No we can't do that. Monsters will just come and feed on her head," said Tifa loud enough for the girl to hear.

The girls eyes widened. It seemed that she didn't want to happen to her. Naruto saw this and thought up an idea.

'_Kyuubi. Can you convince her to come with us on our journey. I have a feeling she would be a good addition to our group'_

'**Yeah I agree, I'll do it. I'm coming out,'**

'_OK,'_

A large cloud enveloped Naruto and when it cleared there was Kyuubi next to him. She walked up to the young girl's head and rested her hand on it. Instantly a white semi-transparent sphere started to grow from where she touched. The sphere grew till it covered them both.

"Hey! Whats goin' on?" asked Barret.

"I want her to come along with us. Kyuubi is just talking with her, trying to convince her to come with us. I assume the sphere is for privacy," he answered.

"But why do you want her to come with us?" asked Aeris.

"Because she's a ninja. She'll have skills you don't have just for being a ninja. Did you see how fast she was in snatching that materia from Barret? That proves that she has some serious speed. She can also fight long range with that four-point shuriken. We only have 2 people that can fight like that. Barret and Gaara. Plus there might be a time where stealth is needed. When it comes to ninjas there is no-one better and three is better than two. And lastly she can steal. We might need that kind of help in the future. Anything else?"

"Yeah. How can we trust her?" asked Barret.

"Leave that to Kyuubi," Naruto said simply.

After several more minutes the sphere contracted to reveal Kyuubi and the girl now above ground. One look at the girl and you could see that she had done a 180. She looked a little humble. She then looked at Naruto and then looked at the ground as if she had been a naughty girl and Naruto was the master. She then looked up to the group and, with a timid smile, said, "I'm sorry for causing trouble,"

"Damn woman, what did you say to her?" exclaimed Barret who had since reclaimed his materia.

"Oh just some things. Now her name is Yuffie Kisaragi and she's 19 years old. She's been briefed on the current situation and has agreed to come with us. While she's with us you," she pointed to Naruto, " are going to teach her how to do ninjutsu. OK?"

"Sure," he agreed. Naruto thought teaching someone would be fun.

"Is everyone alright with this?" asked Kyuubi.

Everyone nodded except for Barret but Kyuubi was counting on this.

"Don't worry Barret. She won't steal from us anymore."

Barret trusted Kyuubi because he trusted Naruto. So he eventually nodded.

Kyuubi then turned back into the sword and with that they left the forest.

* * *

The journey to Junon was uneventful besides the occasional monster. As time went by Yuffie regained her normal persona but she still was a little respectful and she seemed very defensive of Naruto. Aside from the occasional bickering from Cloud and Barret (made up of Barret saying something nasty to Cloud and Cloud ignoring it) and a heated conversation on why they weren't using chocobos, they finally arrived at Junon.

Back in the days before the Shinra and the use of Mako energy, Junon had been a busy port town filled with fishermen, traders, merchants and all kinds of travellers journeying to and from the continent. The port joined up with its partner port of Costa del Sol on the shores of the Western Continent, a popular holiday place. Once upon a time ships would be constantly moving in and out of the ports docks. That was until the Shinra moved in.

Junon was now a completely different place, nothing like it used to be. There were very few people living in Junon now that weren't from the Shinra, and the once happy, light and busy streets of Junon were now dark, desolate and lonely. There were only a few people wandering around, and they were elderly people who were unable to afford to move. The young people had all left for a better place to live.

That wasn't the only thing that had changed. The port town of Junon had now become a two-layered city. The actual port of Junon lay at the bottom, and the larger city built up against the mountain was above it, built by the Shinra to house their ever-expanding empire. The larger city, built entirely of metal, overshadowed the small port and practically blocked off most of the sunlight, hence the darkness that swamped it. The only to the upper part of Junon lay in a lift that was built at the far end of the town. However the Shinra guarded that, so getting up there was not going to be an easy task.

Naruto and his friends, and their new friend, Yuffie, all stood in the entrance of the town and looked around. The town was so empty and lonely; most of the shops were boarded up, with many others ready to give up as well. Most of the business now was in the upper city. It reminded them a little of Midgar. The port of Junon had become the slums to the greater upper city of Junon.

"What happened to this town…?" Cloud asked, greatly saddened to see the great port reduced to a lonely slum. "It's so run down…"

Their presence attracted the attention of a nearby woman who was just coming out of her house to go to one of the few remaining shops. Like many of the remaining citizens of this town she was elderly and was forced to walk slowly, not that anyone in Shinra would have cared. The people of Shinra had almost forgotten the people in Lower Junon, and only posted a guard at the lift to keep them separate. As the woman came out she looked at them, and blinked in surprise.

"Well, now this is rare," she said, her voice old and croaking. She wandered slowly over to them. "We almost never have anyone other than the Shinra people visit this town." She eyed them over, looking at them closely through her old, aged eyes, and slowly nodded her head. "I know you guys want to get to the Western Continent, but the only way is on a Shinra ship."

That was enough to put the group down. Not only did Shinra control the town, but they also controlled the ships travelling to and from Junon as well. And since Shinra was on a constant lookout for Naruto and his group, as well as Sephiroth, getting on board a ship was not going to be easy either.

They left the old woman to her muttering and headed deeper into the town, and looked around at what few people remained in the town. All of the tradesmen and businessmen had packed up and left long ago, and there weren't many fishermen left. Thanks to the Mako reactor that had been built close to Junon, the ocean water surrounding the town had become very polluted – there were hardly any fish left. In order for the fisherman to catch their fish they had to go further out into the ocean – something that was very dangerous these days.

Separating from the group a little bit, Tifa walked on and stood by the old stonewall that bordered the once popular shores from the rest of the port. She frowned as she saw the water. It was slightly dirty, but she knew that beneath the water it would be even more polluted. A large electric tower positioned in the water, rising all the way up to the city above, also spoilt the sight. She looked up and was instantly reminded of Midgar – the large plates blocking her view of the sunlight.

"Hey! Mr. Dolphin!" came a young female voice.

Tifa looked down in surprise to see a young girl about seven or eight year's old standing on the shore. She was dressed in a swimsuit and had a pair of armbands clamped tightly around her arms. As Tifa watched the water close to the shore rippled, and to her complete astonishment a small blue head popped out. It was the head of a dolphin. A dolphin, so close to the polluted shores of Junon.

The girl smiled and waved happily at the dolphin, before cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "My name is… Pri-scil-la!" she shouted out to the swimming dolphin. "Now you say it!"

The dolphin made its playful sounds in reply, before diving through the air and splashing in the water again. Priscilla turned to see Tifa walked slowly down the steps towards her, her eyes wide in awe at the sight of the beautiful dolphin. Naruto, Cloud and Aeris were walking close behind her, while the others watched silently at the top of the shore.

"Who are you guys?" Priscilla demanded, placing her hands on her hips indignantly. "Are you members of the Shinra, Inc?"

The sudden hostility to her voice made the three stop in surprise. "No…" replied Tifa calmly. "Stay calm…"

"…That's how it is," said Cloud.

Priscilla's eyes flashed fiercely, the anger and hatred showing plainly on her tanned little face. "I don't believe you!" she snapped, stamping her foot against the sandy floor. "Get out of here!"

Cloud held his head. "Great…" he groaned. That was all they needed. It was clear that the Shinra were hated in Junon as much as Midgar. Not that he could blame them. The Shinra weren't exactly popular anywhere.

"What's that!" cried Aeris suddenly.

Everyone turned to the shore where Aeris was pointing, just in time to see the water around the beach begin to ripple towards them. The rippling formed into a small wave that crashed down onto the beach, going up close to the spot where Priscilla was standing. Beneath the surface of the water they could see a large shadow skulking around the electric tower. As they watched, the shadow abruptly rose up out of the water and revealed itself.

It was an enormous sea serpent, with silky scales so smooth the water slid off easily down its long, thin frame. Its face was long and pointed, with a mouth filled with many sharp teeth shaped specifically like a razor, or like a pterodactyl's teeth. It had large fins on the side of its cylindrical body, spraying water into the air as they flapped back and forth.

The dolphin was still swimming around in the water then, swimming very close to where the sea serpent had arisen. As the playful dolphin saw the serpent its entire blue body convulsed in fear, and he quickly dived down beneath the surface, moving its tail rapidly to swim off before it was caught. The serpent saw the flash of movement from the dolphin, and snapped its head round towards it.

"Be careful, Mr. Dolphin!" Priscilla cried.

She ran down the beach towards the water's edge and dived fearlessly into the water. She rose to the surface and began to swim towards the dolphin, determined to save her water bound friend.

The serpent saw her coming and sank down beneath the surface of the water. Priscilla stopped and looked around, wondering where the serpent had gone. Seconds later a huge shadow appeared beneath her, but she had no time to move. The water around her exploded into the air as the serpent burst up from beneath the surface, carrying Priscilla with it. The girl fell through the air, falling away from the serpent and back towards the water.

She landed back in the water with an almighty splash, sinking straight to the bottom as the suction from the serpent caught her up. Her head banged hard on a rock lying at the bottom of the water, and from that moment on she lay limp, floating silently on the ocean floor.

"Hey!" Cloud called out, seeing Priscilla sink. "Hold on, we're coming!"

Quickly he unhooked his sword and threw it down onto the floor, along with the amour he had on his shoulder. Then, without waiting for anyone to protest, he ran forward and dived headfirst into the swirling water, swimming down to save the girl before she drowned. Naruto wasn't far behind as he fed chakra into the sword to release Kyuubi. She jumped out of the cloud and they both sprinted to the water. Naruto in the back of his mind noticed that Kyuubi had a very nice swimsuit on but immediately shook his head. Now was definitely not the time.

"Cloud! No!" cried Tifa. She made to run to the water after him, but the serpent raised its tail and slammed it down into the water in front of her. It raised its head and screeched loudly, making the very water shake with its cry. It then turned to Tifa and began to lunge at her, its mouth wide open to reveal the sharp razor-like teeth that would cut her to shreds.

A bright blaze of white flashed through the air, and the sea serpent quickly withdrew. An icy casing formed over its head, freezing its jaws solid so they couldn't move. Tifa spun round to see Barret tearing down the stairs towards her, and she smiled. The sea serpent struggled violently for a second as the ice around its face began to crack and shatter, until it broke free and lifted its head high, screeching loudly.

It didn't have time to retaliate, for seconds later a blast of fire suddenly rose up and smashed it right in the face. The serpent screeched again in pain as clouds of smoke and steam slowly rose into the air around its face, its scaly face burned by the flames of Tifa's magic.

* * *

Down beneath the surface of the water, Naruto, Cloud and Kyuubi swam down towards the ocean bed, surprised at how deep the water had become because of the serpent's arrival. Naruto eventually found Priscilla a few feet below him, her body limp and her eyes closed. Normally she would have floated back up to the surface because of her armbands, but a long length of watery reeds growing from the ocean floor had tied themselves around her ankle, preventing her from going anywhere.

Quickly Naruto swam to her, pulling her around to face him. She was unconscious and losing air fast. He moved down and tugged hard on the reed entangled around her ankle. It was as tight as anything, and was so slippery in the water it was hard to get a decent grip on it. Naruto signaled to Kyuubi and she nodded. She released the henge on her body slightly so her inch long sharp claws showed themselves.

A loud explosion rippled through the water above him, and Naruto spared a glance upwards. A fiery red glow was shining through the surface of the water, and he could faintly hear the agonized, warbled cry of the sea serpent as it cried out again, before a flash of movement signaled to him that it had lunged again. He shook his head and turned back to Priscilla. They had to get her out soon.

* * *

The serpent snapped its jaws angrily, lunging towards the beach again with intense ferocity. Tifa and Aeris dived apart from where they stood as the serpent's head slammed into the sand between them. Nanaki took that time to lunge at the creature's head and clutched on. The creature's skin was so thick and much harder than he expected, so he wasn't able to get a strong grip. It was strong enough for him to hold on as the serpent rose upright again, and Nanaki thrust his head down at the serpent's green eyes.

There was a loud cry and a spurt of watery green blood as Red XIII's teeth tore through the soft flesh of one of its eyes. In agony the monster thrashed its head, throwing Red XIII off in the process. He flew through the air and crashed back onto the beach, rolling across the sand until he slammed into the far wall.

"Look out!" Aeris cried again.

Everyone turned as the sea serpent spun around in the water, lifting its tail up out of the water and flicking it out towards them. The group all jumped back out of its way, but Aeris was not able to move fast enough. The long, vine-like tail of the serpent wrapped around her waist and flung her to the floor, before dragging her back and into the water, pulling her under and out of sight.

"Aeris!" yelled Tifa.

* * *

While all of this was happening Kyuubi swipped the reed in half and pulled Priscilla free, pulling her close as they began to swim back towards the surface, desperate for air. They felt the loud thud of the serpent's tail landing back in the water, and Cloud widened his eyes wide in horror as he saw Aeris flash past him, entwined in the monster's tail, before she disappeared to the surface again. Quickly he left the others behind as he swam back to the surface.

Cloud broke the surface of the water seconds before Naruto and Kyuubi with Priscilla. Cloud saw Aeris just a few metres above him, the serpent's tail still holding her by her waist above the water. He couldn't reach her. The serpent screeched again, preparing to lunge another attack at his friends on the beach.

"HYAH!"

A swift figure tore down the steps onto the beach and zipped across the sand, kicking it up behind her as she ran. Barret didn't have time to turn as Yuffie ran up behind him, nor react as she leaped up onto his back and jumped off, propelling herself up into the air. She pulled out her Shuriken as she flew up, its four metal points flashing in the light.

She brought the Shuriken down hard as she neared the sea serpent's head, and the monster cried out as one of its four points landed squarely in its forehead. Yuffie used this connection as a hook as she brought her feet down firmly on the creature, before pulling the Shuriken down to cut a long, deep gash in the monster's head. In response the monster thrashed and screeched, more blood beginning to trickle from its face. It snapped upwards, trying to bite the attacking ninja.

Yuffie was already gone, however. She leaped from the serpent's head and back into the air, falling down towards the monster's tail where Aeris was still being held. Another flick from her Shuriken saw to that problem as the end of the monster's tail was cut clean off, releasing Aeris and dropping her towards the ocean, along with the tail piece. Cloud immediately began to swim to her while Naruto and Kyuubi swum to the shore. Aeris threw her arms around him as he neared her, and together they began to swim back to the shore.

Her job complete, Yuffie jumped from the monster's tail and onto its thrashing fin, making one final jump back to the shore. The sea serpent was splashing angrily in the water, one too many wounds making it screech in pain. It eventually gave up its fight and turned away, diving back into the water and swimming away from the port to lick its painful wounds.

Tifa immediately ran to the water's edge in time to help Cloud, Aeris and Priscilla out of the water. Aeris was fine, if a little shaken, but Priscilla was not so good. They dragged her up away from the water and lay her down on the sand. Her dark hair was strewn over her face, but she wasn't making any sign of movement at all.

"This is bad…" Cloud said as they all gathered around the unconscious girl. "You don't think she's dead, do you?"

"Priscilla!"

They looked up to see an old man standing on the top of the stairs. As he saw Priscilla lying there on the sand, motionless, he ran as quickly as his old body could carry him to get to her, pushing Cloud and Aeris aside to be close to her. They watched as he leaned over and put his face close to her mouth, trying to feel her breath against his cheek. He shook his head, his eyes dimming.

"Nope… She's not breathing…" he said sadly.

"Out of the way. I know how to do CPR," said Kyuubi as she knelled next to her. She carefully pushed her hair away from her face, and gently tilted her head back to clear her airway. Pinching her nose closed with one hand, Kyuubi opened her mouth and took a deep breath, before placing her mouth firmly over hers and breathing into her. She could see her lungs rising as she breathed into her, air filling them.

She pulled away from her and looked down. Nothing was happening – Priscilla was still unconscious. She went down, pinched her nose again and breathed deeply into her once more. Yet with each breath he gave her, Priscilla gave no signs of movement, and it didn't look like she was going to.

Then, as Kyuubi breathed into her for the tenth time, she felt something gurgle from within Priscilla's throat, and she quickly pulled away. Aeris's eyes lit up as the young girl shuddered slightly and coughed, coughing up water that had been lying in her lungs. She then gasped for air, her throat coarse and sore.

"Uh… ugh…" she spluttered. The old man was by her side in a flash, politely pushing Aeris away so he could be beside her.

"Hey, hey! Priscilla, are you alright?" he said. Priscilla moaned slightly, and the man sighed heavily in relief. He picked her up gently in his arms and began to carry her off back into the town, to get her inside and warmed up before she caught pneumonia and got even more ill.

"Thanks Kyuubi," said Aeris.

Kyuubi shook her head and smiled. "I'm just glad I was able to revive her,"

"Hey Yuffie, that was a job well done. Good work," Naruto congratulated her with a warm smile. Yuffie smiled shyly as she looked at the ground and said in a small voice, "Thanks,"

"What do you mean 'Thanks'? She used me as a damn spring board!" yelled Barret.

"Sometimes we need each others help and so we support each other," said Naruto.

"True but try to give me some warning kay?" asked Barret to Yuffie who nodded and apologized.

There was no reason for them to stay on the shore any longer, so the group headed back into town. Naruto, Kyuubi, Cloud and Aeris were still dripping after being in the water, and by now they were beginning to feel a little cold. A few people had gathered in the doorways of their houses, smiling at them and congratulating them on the success of their fight.

"Hey," the old woman that talked to them when they walked into town, said to them. "Come in for a while."

She turned and walked off, leaving Naruto and his group looking around aimlessly, wondering what she meant. The old woman stopped by the entrance to her house and opened the door, nodding for them to come in. The group did as they were told and entered the old woman's house. It was amazingly warm and cozy inside, seeming completely different from the rundown looks of the outside. The woman came in last, shutting the door behind her.

"I heard what happened," she said to them, walking over to the table where a pot of tea had just brewed. She poured four mugs and offered them to the wet ones, who took them gladly. The warmth was so nice after the cold of the water, and it warmed them up nicely. "You've done so much for Priscilla. You all must be tired. If you want to get some rest, stay here." She poured a few more mugs for Tifa, Barret, Nanaki and Yuffie, before heading back to the door. There she stopped, and looked back at them with an old, kind smile. "Make yourselves at home," she said, before leaving them.

Once she was gone, Nanaki climbed up onto one of the stairs and sniffed at his mug of tea. It smelled so nice – shame he couldn't drink from a mug. That didn't stop him from trying though, as he flicked his tongue carefully inside the mug.

"So, what now?" asked Barret, who was not at all interested in drinking tea just yet.

Cloud shrugged. "I'm not really sure," he replied, drinking more of the tea.

"We don't even know if Sephiroth is here, or if he's already left," pointed out Red XIII.

"If he has, then we follow him," Cloud said, determined.

"But how?" asked Aeris. "The only way across is on a Shinra ship."

"Let's not think about this right now," said Tifa suddenly. She turned to Naruto. "Take a… AHHH! Naruto! What are you doing!"

Naruto was busy taking off his coat and shirt which were dripping wet from the swim. He turned to Tifa and the others, showing his chest and all the hard muscles that went with it. "What? I'm taking off my coat and shirt so I can dry them," he explained, not yet realizing the effect he was having on the four girls. Tifa had turned around, her face red. Aeris was giggling like a school girl who just saw the hot, popular guy with his shirt off. And both Yuffie and Kyuubi were openly staring at Naruto's very defined chest. The difference was that with Yuffie, her eyes were big and round, with a small blush on her face; Kyuubi had a massive blush on her face, so much that you couldn't see the small drop of blood slowly making its way out of her nose. She was also drooling a bit.

Tifa finally had enough and bustled all the girls out of the room. Cloud, Barret, Nanaki and Gaara all looked very amused.

"What?" asked Naruto.


	22. Chapter 22: Departure from Junon

**Chapter 22: Departure from Junon**

Naruto woke to the sound of a band playing. Throughout the night in his head Kyuubi was teaching him nature manipulation. They had started with wind since that was his strongest element. The exercise was to saturate the air around him with chakra and then pull the chakra laden air to his hand to form a Rasengan.

Easier said than done.

While he was wondering what all the racket was about Gaara walked through the door and said, "Naruto. Something's going on."

Naruto nodded and got out of bed, summoning Kyuubi as he went. The music that they could hear was not actually coming from the lower port of Junon, but rather from the Upper City where the Shinra were based. A number of people were standing in the street looking up towards the upper city, but the majority of them had gathered around the main house in the middle of the town. Also standing there were Cloud and the others, waiting for Naruto, Kyuubi and Gaara to run up.

"Doesn't it seem a little strange?" Gaara asked Naruto. "Everything getting so noisy all of a sudden…?"

Naruto nodded and looked up towards the upper city where the music was coming from. It was no use – he couldn't see anything. The large metal wall that was the side of the city made sure that nothing could be seen. Just then all of the people surrounding the main house fell silent he brought his gaze back down to Lower Junon. The door opened and out walked Priscilla, still dressed in her swimsuit but looking much better than before. Naruto and Kyuubi walked up the steps leading up to the house and stopped near her.

"Are you all right now?" Kyuubi asked.

Priscilla slowly nodded her head. "Umm… thanks for helping…" she said sincerely. Kyuubi gave her a nod, and they both walked down towards the others waiting at the bottom. "I'm sorry, I mistook you for one of those Shinra, Inc…" she said, looking at Naruto.

"That's all right," Naruto said, waving his hand dismissively. Priscilla still looked a little embarrassed though, and looked down at the ground. Then she suddenly lifted her head and looked directly at Naruto, making him feel a little uneasy.

"I'll give you something SPECIAL!" she announced. She then delved into the pocket of her swimsuit and pulled out a small red ball, and the moment everyone set their eyes on it they stared in total surprise. It was Materia, and not just any Materia. It was Summon Materia. Priscilla handed it to Naruto, who took it. "It's an amulet," she said to him, the red burn still showing on her face. "Take good care of it, okay?"

Naruto nodded and looked down at the red ball of Materia in his hands. He wondered how Priscilla managed to get her hands on such a powerful form of Materia, even though it was clear that she didn't know what it was. Inside the Materia he could see the faint image of a female-like figure, shrouded in a very light blue aura.

"Hey Cloud, which summons this?" he asked.

"I vaguely remember this Materia – I've heard of it before. Shiva… I think it's called. A maiden of pure ice."

"Cool," said Naruto before slipping it into one of the many pockets he had.

"What's that music?" Barret asked the young girl. "It sure sounds lively."

Priscilla nodded her head. "I heard they're rehearsing the reception for the new Shinra president," she told him. The moment she mentioned the Shinra the familiar sense of hostility appeared in her voice again, and her eyes flared up. Her dislike the Shinra was something she found very hard to control.

"Rufus!" Barret said, his rage matching Priscilla's as he raised his gun-arm up to the sky, wishing it was aiming at Rufus's head. "I gotta pay my respects."

Priscilla walked past the group and looked out at the ocean. "Grandpa and grandma told me this beach was beautiful when they were small," she said, her voice calming a little. "But after the Shinra built that city above, the sun stopped shining here, and the water got polluted… I was raised on that story and hate the Shinra so much, I could die!"

"You think Rufus is thinking about crossing the ocean from here, too?" Aeris asked. "What? Does that mean Sephiroth already crossed the ocean?"

Nanaki tilted his head and looked at Cloud. "Cloud, didn't you finish Rufus off?"

Cloud shook his head. Unfortunately he had never got the chance to finish Rufus off, because Rufus had fled before their battle could be concluded. Rufus, the son of the former President Shinra, now the new president and he was just as ruthless as his father was, if not even worse.

Having Rufus in Junon made one thing certain: they were going in the right direction after Sephiroth, whether he had crossed the ocean or not. It also looked like they were also going to be trailing the Shinra every step of the way as well. He was so distracted in his own thoughts right then, he didn't notice the others all gathering around the wall bordering the beach.

"We gotta get to the town up there…" Barret was saying. He looked around and then pointed to the tower standing in the water, which rose to the Upper City. "Mebbe we could climb the tower?"

"No! No!" Priscilla cried at him, running in front and waving her arms madly. "There's a high voltage current running underneath the tower. Don't wander near it, it's dangerous!" She then suddenly turned away and looked into the water. Moments later she clapped her hands excitedly and turned back. "But… you might be able to if Mr. Dolphin helps you. Follow me!"

Priscilla then ran down the steps and onto the beach again, stopping by the water's edge and signalling for them all to follow her. One by one the others exchanged glances, none of them at all keen to go near the electrified tower and risk being electrocuted. Yet as they looked at each other the same thought crossed their minds, and slowly they all turned to look at Cloud still standing by Priscilla's house in thought.

"High voltage tower…" said Tifa, a slow smile spreading on her face as she looked at Cloud. "I guess this means Cloud'll be all right."

"Yeah, better leave it to Cloud," said Aeris, nodding in agreement.

At the mention of his name Cloud finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the others. They were all staring back at him, the same knowing and sly smiles on their face. Cloud blinked, but as he saw Priscilla on the shore, he figured out just what they were smiling about.

"We're counting on you, Cloud," Nanaki said. And before Cloud could even think about protesting, the group quickly separated and headed back into the town, passing Cloud and leaving him standing in front of the house on his own.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Cloud called, but no one listened to him.

"Don't worry. We'll go with you. They're all just chickens," assured Naruto.

Cloud smiled a small smile before the three walked down to the beach.

"Wait a minute," she told him.

She turned away from him and put her hand in her pocket again, pulling out what looked like a long, shiny whistle. She put it to her mouth and gave it a quick, sharp blow, and it whistled loudly. At first nothing happened, but moments later the water in front of them began to ripple slightly as the shadow of the dolphin swam underneath it. Clearly it had not been hurt by the sea serpent from earlier.

The dolphin then rose up and lifted its head out of the water, looking at Cloud and Priscilla with its usual, playful grin, before it dipped beneath the surface again. Then all of a sudden the dolphin dived up out of the water and up into the air. It rose a good ten metres up towards a metal bar that joined the tower to the side of the upper city wall, before falling down to the water again. He landed expertly with a loud splash, sending showers of spray into the air.

"Now ain't that something!" came Barret's voice. Cloud turned to see Barret walking towards him across the beach. He stopped beside Cloud. "I ain't never seen no Dolphin jump like that!"

Priscilla nodded her head proudly. "Pretty cool, huh? When I blow this whistle, Mr. Dolphin jumps for me." She skipped over to Cloud and held out the whistle, which was tied to a thin length of rope. "Here! This is for you, Cloud!"

Cloud took the whistle and looked at it. "A gift?" he asked, confused. "What am I supposed to do with it!"

Priscilla held her head in her hands and shook it pitifully. She then grabbed Cloud by his hand and pulled him towards, and then pushing him towards the water. "Just go into the water, blow the whistle, and Mr. Dolphin'll jump you to the top of the pole!" she explained to him.

"Jump to the top of the pole?"

"See that rod sticking out at the top?" said Priscilla, pointing up to the metal bar that hung above them. Cloud nodded. "If you jump just right, you can climb to the top of the town!"

"Good luck, Cloud!" said Barret. "If you make it, we'll follow you!" He was about to turn away and head back to the others, when he suddenly remembered something. "Whoa, I'll hold the PHS for you," he said. "It'll break if it gets wet."

"Sure," said Cloud, unhooking the PHS from his belt and handing it to Barret. He thought for a moment, before he also unhooked his sword and gave it to Barret also. Barret and Priscilla then stepped back and watched as Cloud headed into the water, getting his clothes wet for the second time that day.

"So we just have to get up to that girder sticking out," thought Naruto out loud. He then made the Dragon and Monkey hand signs before saying, "Fuuton: Tobikumo."

The cloud formed underneath Naruto and Kyuubi and he directed it with his mind to the pole. Gaara did the same thing with his sand. They all got to the top of the pole and then looked down to watch Cloud.

The dolphin swam over to him as he entered the water, swimming around him in a playful circle. Once it swam up really close and Cloud touched its sleek, rubbery skin. The dolphin chattered back at him, the large grin forever remaining on its long face. Cloud shook his head, before he blew sharply on the whistle Priscilla had given him. As he did the dolphin dipped beneath the water and out of sight.

Cloud shook his head, wading in the water, and looked up at the pole Priscilla had pointed out to him. He was almost directly beneath it. He could see Naruto, Kyuubi and Gaara waving at him (well Naruto and Kyuubi was). If he could get up there, it would be quite easy to climb to the top of the town, very easy. Yet he couldn't quite believe that the dolphin would be able to get him up there.

Suddenly Cloud felt something push beneath him and lift him up out of the water for a second, before he dipped down again. Then, with a great big thrust the dolphin pushed up beneath Cloud and leaped into the air towards the pole, carrying Cloud with it. Cloud held onto the dolphin's fin tightly as he was carried all the way up into the air towards the pole.

As they neared the pole, the dolphin bucked its body forward as it prepared to go back down to the water. Cloud quickly drew up his knees and pushed himself away from the dolphin, reaching out for the pole. He was close enough and wrapped his arms around the pole, holding on for dear life as the dolphin fell back down to the water.

Cloud hung above the water, his legs dangling over the side of the pole. He held on tightly and began to pull himself up onto the bar, swinging his legs up onto the bar and clambering on top of it. The bar was just wide enough to hold him safely, and was securely attached to the tower. He waved down to Barret and Priscilla to say he was all right, before he threw the whistle back down to Priscilla. She caught it easily and looked back at him.

"Nice going Cloud," said Naruto. Kyuubi smiled at him. Gaara just nodded at him. Cloud nodded at the three of them before they started walking toward the tower. They started off steadily up the side of the tower, constantly wary of the cables running around them. All it would take would be to touch the cables only slightly, and they would be electrified into a frazzle. Barret and Priscilla watched anxiously from the beach as he climbed. Priscilla clutched tightly onto her whistle and bit her lip, praying with all her heart that the pretty lady would be all right.

They eventually reached the top of the electric pylon and came up alongside the high wall of the upper city. Naruto peeked above the rim of the wall first, just to make sure there were no guards around, before he climbed up onto the platform and looked around.

He found himself standing on the edge of a large landing field about the size of a football field. Standing about twenty metres ahead of him was an enormous airship, hovering slightly above the ground with its engine humming quietly on standby. The airfield was positioned slightly higher above the rest of the city, accessible only by taking the cargo platform lift up or down. They were surprised that there were no guards around, but decided to use this to their advantage and headed quickly towards the cargo lift. Cloud pressed down with his foot on the button to make the lift go down, and the lift headed down smoothly towards the buildings below. Kyuubi transformed back to the sword before disappearing out of sight.

Again there were no guards around guarding the entrances to any of the buildings, but even so they headed cautiously towards the nearest building. By now the others would probably be making their way up the tower by now, if they hadn't found another way to the upper city.

"The new President's here!"

Hurriedly Cloud jumped back against the wall of the building he had just been about to walk into. He peered through the open doorway in time to see two Shinra soldiers, clad in their lowly blue uniforms, running through the corridor. They ran past the door and turned the corner, heading through another door and out of sight.

Cloud finally released his breath and entered the building. No he knew why there were so few guards around – they were all in a rush preparing for Rufus's welcoming ceremony. The door the two soldiers had run through probably led to the main part of the town.

"Hey!" came a voice. Cloud jumped and froze solid. After a moment or two he slowly turned his head to look behind him, and saw another Shinra soldier in a red uniform, a whistle in one hand, glaring at him fiercely. "You still dressed like that!" the soldier snapped. "Come here!"

Cloud stared, confused. The red soldier, who was clearly an officer in rank with his red uniform, ran over towards another door at the other end of the corridor, and kicked the door open with his boot.

"Here! Get into the room!"

Naruto whispered to Cloud. "Don't worry. We'll find our own way onto whatever were going on, you go on ahead,"

Cloud nodded and walked toward the officer. Naruto and Gaara backed away from the entrance and walked over to the edge of the lower platform. They peeked over the edge and saw Rufus. H was standing by a lift and was looking bored. Next to him was Heidegger.

"Hey Gaara, lets see if we can get close enough to hear what they're saying. Maybe we can find out what we're sailing or flying on,"

Gaara nodded and they walked off the edge and down the steel pillar closest to Rufus. It didn't take them long to get down there and when they did Rufus was watching soldiers give a performance though it seemed that one wasn't doing anything. Naruto then realized that it was Cloud. Naruto then turned away from the soldiers and sent chakra to his ears so he was able to tune into what Rufus was saying.

* * *

"How's the job?" asked Rufus as Heidegger also turned to him. Without a reply Rufus sighed heavily and turned away towards the lift that led to the other side of the town. He looked around, confused, and then turned back. "What happened to the airship?" he asked.

"The long range airship is still being prepared," Heidegger replied. "It should be ready in about three more days. Gya haa haa!"

"Even the Air Force's Gelnika?" Rufus asked. Heidegger laughed again, and Rufus looked at him irritably. "Stop that stupid horse laugh," he commanded. "Things are different than when father was in charge." Heidegger slowly stopped laughing and stood frozen to the spot. Rufus sighed again. "Is the ship ready?"

"Yes sir, we'll get it ready quickly," Heidegger replied, his voice quiet.

Rufus then turned away and headed towards the lift. Once he had turned away Heidegger spun round and ran to the group of soldiers lined up in front of them. He began to beat them angrily out of sheer frustration, and each one of them flinched and shook in fright. Heidegger then punched Cloud, who didn't move. He glared at Cloud and hit him again, and then again. Each time Cloud did not move a muscle, and just took Heidegger's abuse. The lift started up then, and Heidegger turned and ran to it, climbing inside and leaving the soldiers behind. The moment Heidegger disappeared through the open doorway the lift headed up towards the town again, and the soldiers finally relaxed and gathered in a circle around Cloud.

"What a disaster," one of the blue soldiers commented.

"Heidegger was really irritated," said another.

"The man in the Black Cape's been roaming the city, but we can't find him," another one said.

That caught Cloud's attention. "Man in a Black Cape?" he asked.

A fourth soldier nodded. "He showed up two or three days ago and killed a few of our soldiers," he said.

"He disappeared right after that," a fifth one said. "There's a rumour going around that it was Sephiroth."

* * *

'Huh, that's interesting,' thought Naruto.

_'Indeed,' _agreed Gaara.

'To the boat?'

_'Yes,'_

They then continued down the pillar until they reached the docks. They then saw Rufus again and hid behind some boxes and listened in. Apparently he was now watching some more soldiers. Then all at once the three grunt soldiers performed quite a good pose, until coming to a finish. The Shinra officer then turned round and saluted to Rufus, before they all stood at ease in front of the president. Rufus stepped forward towards them and clapped, clearly impressed.

"Well done," he said to them. "Keep up the good work for Shinra, Inc." Heidegger then walked forward to each of the soldiers in turn, whispering something in their ears and giving them a little something. They watched silently as Rufus then turned away and stepped up onto the ship, Heidegger right behind him, but Naruto could still hear what they were saying.

"Once the word gets out that Sephiroth's here, Cloud and his friends will show up, too," Rufus said to Heidegger quietly.

"We'll crush them as soon as soon as we find them!" Heidegger assured him.

Rufus looked at Heidegger closely. "We can't have them get in our way," he said sternly.

Heidegger swallowed nervously, and nodded his head. "Leave it up to me, sir! Gya haa haa!" Again Rufus glared at Heidegger irritably.

"I thought I told you to stop that stupid laugh…" he repeated, and Heidegger immediately stopped laughing.

Without another word Rufus walked off and into the ship, passing the large pile of crates that had been loaded on board for the journey across the ocean. Once the president was safely inside Heidegger turned and signalled to the soldiers in the hangar before following the president inside and out of sight. Moments later the loud booming of the ship's horn could be heard in the air as the ship made its final preparations before setting sail.

"All right! Dismissed!" the officer called.

"That was close," the first blue soldier said, sighing with relief.

"Heidegger's been really edgy lately," said the second.

"Because Hojo disappeared leaving a letter of resignation," the first explained.

"Heidegger's been forced to take care of that investigation, too," said the second.

"Hey-!" the officer snapped at them. "I thought you were dismissed!" The two blue soldiers jumped about half a meter in the air and quickly ran off back to the hanger, leaving the officer behind with the third soldier. "We got some cleaning up to do!" he said. "Hurry up!" He then ran off into the hanger, leaving him behind.

He waited until all of the soldiers on the dock had left and run back inside, before he finally relaxed and sighed heavily. Very quietly Naruto henged into a grunt and walked up to him. Gaara did the same. Naruto had guessed that this soldier was Cloud but he needed to be sure.

Naruto whispered into the soldier's ear, "The yellow fox and sandman have come out of hiding,"

The soldier turned around and nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Hey, hurry. You're the last ones."

They all turned and looked towards the crates piled near the entrance. They leaned in closer and Nanaki walked out quietly from behind the crates where he had been hiding.

"How did you get up here?" asked Naruto.

"A dolphin gave me a ride," Nanaki replied. He looked around either end of the ship, just making sure that there was no one else listening. "Priscilla remembered the dolphin after you climbed the pole. But, you mustn't be mad at her."

Naruto shrugged dismissively and shook his head. It didn't really matter how they all got up to the upper city, as long as they were all safely on board and out of view of the Shinra. Even so he would have loved to see Nanaki trying to get up on the dolphin's back.

They then all stepped up onto the ship and stood beside Nanaki, looking out at the docks one last time. As they waited the ship's engine then hummed into life, and the gentle roar of the working parts could be heard echoing beneath them. The doors then began to scrape and rise up off the docks, sealing Naruto, Gaara, Cloud and Nanaki inside the Shinra ship.

"We'll cross the ocean, to the new continent…" said Cloud as the doors closed. "Even if we are wearing Shinra uniforms…"


	23. Chapter 23: Meeting The Enemy

Chapter 23: Meeting The Enemy

**Chapter 23: Meeting The Enemy**

It wasn't too long before everything was finally ready and the Junon Cargo Ship finally set sail and headed off across the waters that would lead them to the other continent. It left behind Junon and Midgar far behind, and it within twenty to thirty minutes of sailing the continent could no longer be seen, and the only thing that surrounded the boat was ocean, carrying the Shinra and passengers that were hidden beneath its decks.

Heidegger and Rufus were completely unaware of the presence of Naruto and his friends on board the ship, believing they had left them far behind on the continent they had just left. Little did they know that they were in fact on that very ship with them, walking around freely amongst the rest of the crew as though they were part of the Shinra themselves.

Naruto, Gaara and Cloud eventually stepped out from behind the crates and Cloud clipped his helmet back into place, but at least he'd been able to sit without it for a while, and kept the visor up. They'd been sailing for a good while now, but it would still be a good while before the other continent came into view and they could go ashore. Even though Nanaki had gone off in his own disguise, Naruto decided it would be a good idea to check up on the others and make sure they were all doing all right in blending in with the Shinra.

"Let's see if we can meet the others," said Naruto.

Cloud and Gaara nodded and the three started looking round. Yuffie was the first person he spotted, probably because she was so easy to recognize. She was standing between a pile of crates near to where Cloud was, bent over and her head hidden, making a very peculiar growling and groaning sound. As Cloud walked over to her he immediately saw what was wrong with her – her face was sickly pale and her hands were trembling. She spotted Cloud nearby and looked at him, before looking away again. Cloud looked on in sympathy. Travel sickness truly was a terrible thing to have, and terrible to combat once it started.

"Urrrgh…" she groaned, putting a hand on her stomach. "This is why… I hate ships. Hey, Cloud. You have any 'Tranquillisers'?"

Cloud shook his head. "Nope."

"Ugh, you don't have any?" Yuffie said. She turned back to the looking at the floor.

"Man that looks nasty," said Naruto softly, wishing there was something he could do. He suddenly had an idea and took the blue potions scroll and summoned everything that was in there. A puff of smoke later and there was a multitude of bottles in front of him. There were blue ones and yellow ones, red ones and orange ones and many others.

'Kyuubi, which one is the Tranquilliser?'

'**It's the sky blue one,'**

Naruto spotted it, picked it up and gave it to Yuffie. She took it and downed it in one big gulp. Instantly she looked much better and she looked at Naruto in gratitude before saying, "Thank you,"

"Its alright," Naruto said as he resealed the rest of the potions and stuffed the scroll back in his pocket. "I don't like seeing one of my friends in pain,"

Yuffie nodded and claimed that she would stay here. The others nodded and resumed their search. As they moved up the length of the ship a soldier came walking towards them. Cloud prepared to snap the visor down before he could see him clearly.

"Umm… It's me, Aeris," the soldier said suddenly. Cloud stopped, his hand already on the visor panel. He recognised that voice. Sure enough, as the soldier lifted the visor, Cloud saw Aeris hidden behind it, looking at him almost sheepishly. She looked equally relieved to see Cloud. "Hey, Cloud. Did you see the Airship at Junon?"

Cloud nodded. "…I heard it was big, but I didn't expect it to be THAT big."

"That was REALLY something," Aeris said, her eyes looking dreamy for a moment. "Hey, do you think I could get on it?"

Cloud nodded positively. "I'll take you someday… keep hoping," he told her.

"Wow!" Aeris exclaimed. She suddenly realised how loud she had yelled and quickly covered her mouth, her eyes darting round to see if she had attracted anyone's attention. When she was she no one was looking, she lowered her voice to an excited whisper. "I'm really looking forward to it! Let's ride on the Airship together, okay? Promise, promise me!"

The way she begged him to promise her made Cloud remember the way Tifa had made him promise, all those years ago, back in Nibelheim. In fact there were a lot of similarities between Aeris and Tifa, when he thought about it. Both of them ran into danger when there wasn't a real need for them to, like when Tifa joined him and Barret on the AVALANCHE mission to destroy the No. 5 reactor, and how Aeris followed them all the way to Sector 7 and ended up getting caught by the Shinra.

Naruto was sniggering and Gaara had a slight smirk on his face.

They then parted ways, Aeris continuing her 'patrol' of the lower decks to stop herself from arousing suspicion. There was only one room connected to the cargo room, but a soldier Naruto figured was NOT one of his friends guarded that room. With nowhere else to look on the lower decks Cloud headed up the stairs to the upper deck.

The sea air was extremely refreshing, and the sickening uncomfortable feeling Cloud had felt whilst wearing the almost suffocating visor disappeared in the salty breeze. Cloud stayed by the door for a moment, breathing in the clear air. He leaned over the side of the deck and looked out, but all he could see was water both to the front and to the back of the ship.

Naruto stepped away from the deck and looked around for Tifa, Barret and Nanaki. Most of the people on this deck were actual sailors and not Shinra soldiers, and looking around Cloud couldn't see any of the others disguised as sailors.

At that moment Cloud's helmet gave a loud crack, and the sound rang through his ears. He turned in surprise as a small rock fell onto the floor behind him from where it had hit. Looking up Cloud saw a Shinra soldier standing on the top of the lookout tower beside him, looking down at him. At least, it looked like a Shinra soldier, until the soldier gave him a quick wave and signalled him to come up. Cloud climbed up the ladder towards the soldier, who came to attention and saluted him.

"Yes, sir!" came a female voice from behind the visor. "Everything quiet, sir!" Cloud smiled as he recognised Tifa's voice. "…But you know what?" she asked him. "I really hate this uniform. Uniform, soldiers, war. I hate 'em all. They take away all the things and people you love… I wish they'd all disappear. Right, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded slowly. "Yeah……" he told her. It was a nice thought – to have a world without the need for war. Yet somehow he figured that wouldn't happen in the near future. Still, it comforted Tifa somewhat.

"You're right!" she said. She looked around and then saluted at him again. "Uh, yes sir! I'll continue my watch, sir! Hee hee…"

Cloud saluted back at her and smiled, before heading back down the ladder towards Naruto and Gaara. There was only Barret and Nanaki left to find now, and it was Barret they was most concerned about finding more than Nanaki, who would have the most difficulty in disguising himself on the ship. Who knew what Barret could be doing, on a ship filled with Shinra?

Naruto soon spotted Nanaki, and he had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. Nanaki was dressed as a Shinra soldier and was standing on the deck just outside the president's cabin. He was actually standing up on his two hind legs, trying to walk just like a human on those hind legs, but he was finding it difficult. Even as Naruto watched he was wobbling across from one side of the deck to the other, trying his hardest to stay upright. His tail was also a pain to hide, and was sticking out of the back of the uniform. Luckily, no one was taking any notice.

"………… It's me, Nanaki," Nanaki said as the three wandered up, trying just as hard to keep the smile off their faces. Nanaki looked down at himself and his wobbly form. "I'm a little woozy, but I shouldn't get caught," he said. "Humans only look at appearances anyway. Anyway you look at it, I'd say I make a fine human being." He staggered a little and almost fell over, but just about managed to stay upright. "It's pretty hard standing on two feet…"

They left Nanaki and began to search for Barret, but he was nowhere to be seen on the upper decks. They even checked with Tifa again, but she hadn't seen him anywhere since they snuck aboard the ship during the parade. With nowhere else to look Naruto and the others went back down to the lower decks, wondering if they had missed Barret on his way up. If Barret couldn't be found that was a major problem.

The moment he came back down to the lower decks Aeris ran to Cloud. "Hey, Cloud," she said, her voice anxious. "Did you see Barret?" The look on Cloud's face told her the answer, and she shook her head. "I hope he's not doing something stupid…"

Naruto was just as worried as she was. Barret's temper was so volatile where the Shinra were concerned, and they didn't really want to make their presence known to the Shinra on a ship while it was in the middle of nowhere. They left Aeris and moved back to the upper decks, becoming increasingly concerned as to where Barret was. There was only one place on the ship he hadn't checked, and that was right at the front of the ship.

As Naruto walked as casually as he could to the front of the ship, he quickly spotted Barret. He was dressed in a sailor's outfit, and he looked very out of place, especially with his gun-arm in the way. He was standing by the window of the president's cabin, peeking through at Heidegger and Rufus as they stood talking in the middle of the cabin, in plain view of Barret. Barret heard Naruto approaching and spun round, his arm ready, but when he saw it was Naruto he relaxed and gestured to the window.

"Look, Naruto," he said harshly, and Naruto recognised the familiar tone of hatred in his voice that Priscilla had. "It's Rufus and Heidegger. They're this close but we can't do a thing to 'em…"

Cloud walked up beside Barret and looked through with him. He could see Heidegger talking to Rufus. He suddenly laughed heartily, despite Rufus's clear irritation. The moment Heidegger began to laugh Barret's face fumed until it was purple, hardly able to contain his rage.

"Ummmm…… Gmmmmm……" he snarled under his breath as he glared at Heidegger's fat, laughing mug. "How can he…… Goin' off laughin' like that? Because of him Sector 7………," he growled fiercely. Suddenly he turned round and ran to the edge of the boat, shaking his fist angrily. "God!!" he yelled. "I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna settle things here and now……"

Naruto was about to protest to Barret when all of a sudden an alarm began to ring loudly on every inch of the ship. The alarm rang loud and clear, making everyone on the ship freeze to the spot and fall silent. Moments later a voice began to boom out over the speakers, just over the sound of the alarm.

"Emergency alert! Reports of a suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found! I repeat. Suspicious character found on board! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!"

Rufus and Heidegger left the cabin immediately after the alarm sounded, Rufus being ushered off to a safer area of the ship. With them gone the group looked around anxiously as the alarm continued to sound around them, wondering if they had somehow been spotted despite their efforts.

"Damn, did they find us!?" Barret demanded. He stopped for a moment and scratched his head, thinking about what the alarm had said. "Hey, that don't seem like us," he said. "Do they mean… Tifa and the others!?" He jumped up and turned to Naruto, only to see him jumping away so he looked at Cloud. "Get off your spiky butt and let's go, Cloud!"

The two turned and dashed off back to the main part of the upper deck. They were surprised to find all of the ship personnel gone, they were probably all on the lower decks searching for the suspicious character. One thing they did notice however, were that the others were all running onto the upper decks, and they all met up in the centre of the deck.

"Everyone all right!?" called Tifa.

"You all right!?" said Barret in turn.

They all fell silent for a moment as they looked around at one another. Each and every one of them was present and correct.

"Huh?" Aeris asked, confused.

"Everyone's here… right?" asked Tifa.

"If everyone's here then who's the intruder?" asked Naruto.

"Hey, wait," Barret said suddenly, a realisation coming to mind. "You don't think that suspicious character is… Sephiroth!?"

Tifa jumped. "Really!?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know!?" Barret demanded angrily.

"…Let's find out," said Cloud.

Everyone fell silent. If Sephiroth was indeed aboard the ship, then the lives of everyone aboard could be in danger, and anyone who did find him would surely be killed. That chilling thought sent shivers down everyone's spines, and they were filled with a cold dread. Until then they had just been chasing Sephiroth, but now the thought that now they were within reach of him… It scared them just a little bit.

"It's the most logical thing to do," Red XIII said, breaking the silence that had spread amongst them.

Tifa suddenly walked forward towards him.

"Take me with you!" she said to him fearlessly. She gave Cloud a smile, trying hard not to let the fear break through.

"I'm goin' too!" Barret announced, raising his gun high.

Red XIII also stepped forward. "These clothes are too tight on me," he said. "Can I switch with you?"

Cloud nodded and looked around as Aeris also stepped forward. Yuffie also stepped forward. Cloud looked to Naruto and Gaara.

"You think we would pass up a good fight? You're crazy. Of course we'll come!" grinned Naruto. Garra nodded.

That was pretty much everyone. It looked like they were going to face Sephiroth after all. They hurriedly discarded their Shinra disguises, everyone glad to be finally out of the stifling uniforms (except Naruto and Gaara who just dispelled their henge's, and headed towards the open door leading to the lower decks.

As they descended down the stairs towards the lower decks, they noticed that it was unusually quiet. There was no sign of Rufus or Heidegger – in fact there was no sign of any of the ship's crew. Apart from the gentle hum of the engine and other engine sounds, there were in fact no other sounds to be heard throughout the whole ship.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and immediately saw the reason for the eerie silence. In front of them and all around them there were soldiers and sailors strewn everywhere, thrown aside like rag dolls across the crates and over the metal floor. Tifa immediately ran forward to the nearest soldier lying close to the bottom of the stairs and knelt beside him. His visor was smashed and glass had cut into his face, but as Tifa checked his neck for a pulse she gave a sigh of relief. Most of the soldiers and sailors weren't dead, thankfully, although they were badly wounded. They would probably pull through, which was a relief.

Barret moved passed the injured soldiers towards the crates, and pulled off the lid of one of them. Tifa helped him as he delved into the crate and pulled out their weapons, which had been stored in there out of sight for safekeeping. Cloud's sword, Aeris's staff, Yuffie's Shuriken, all of the weapons were safe. Naruto summoned his sword to his side and Gaara unslung his shotgun. They all took their weapons gladly, and then turned towards the door leading to the Engine Room, and passed through.

The moment they passed through the doors into the engine room they immediately felt a strong sense of evil hanging in the air. There were more soldiers lying either dead or unconscious on the upper levels, leaving the engine completely unattended. There was but one soldier left standing at the far end of the engine room, looking away from Naruto and the others as they entered and staring at the wall.

"Is it… Sephiroth?" Cloud said aloud, his voice seeming out of place in the silence.

As the echo of his voice reverberated off the walls and began to fade, the solitary soldier slowly turned and faced them. His face was blank and expressionless, his eyes empty, and with a single line of blood tricking from the corner of his mouth. The others watched as he then fell forward helplessly onto his knees and then face down onto the floor. He was already dead.

Cloud shook his head in disbelief. "No… Not Sephiroth!"

"……After a long sleep… …the time…… time has…… come…"

All at once everyone jumped and turned their heads round and round, looking around the room for the source of the unknown voice. The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once, with nothing to indicate where it might have come from. They looked round and round, until Aeris suddenly pointed straight ahead of them to where the soldier had fallen.

"Look, Cloud!!"

Everyone turned and looked ahead to where Aeris was pointing. As they watched the floor around where the soldier had fallen began to ripple and waver slightly, and a shadowy figure slowly began to rise up from beneath it.

The moment Cloud laid eyes on that figure he felt his blood boiling inside him. It may have been five years, but he would recognise Sephiroth anywhere. He hadn't changed one bit since Cloud had last seen him, apart from the fact that his green eyes seemed tired and heavy as he hovered in the air ahead of him, his head lowered to look at the ground. Sephiroth slowly lifted his head, seeming almost weary, and looked at the group through tired eyes.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud exclaimed. "You're alive!"

Sephiroth blinked sleepily and peered closely at Cloud without even a flicker of recognition appearing in his eyes. Looking back into those same eyes, Cloud could feel the rage rising in him. It was the exact same rage that Barret felt whenever he thought about the Shinra, the same rage Priscilla felt when she thought about what the Shinra had done to the port town of Junon and its once beautiful waters. Locking gazes with Sephiroth brought back all that rage and hatred, as well as the painful memories that went with them. He could almost feel the heat of the flames again, but that was just his blood boiling in his veins. Yet with all that rage and anger, it couldn't prepare him for what Sephiroth was about to ask him.

"……Who are you?" he asked.

Cloud shook his head in complete disbelief. "You don't remember me!?" he asked back fiercely, unable to believe what he was hearing. How could he, just how could he, after all that had happened back in Nibelheim, forget who he was? His fist tightened around the handle of his sword. "I'm Cloud!"

"Cloud…" Sephiroth repeated. He looked down at the ground again and closed his eyes. The name didn't seem to strike a chord with him, but he seemed so drowsy at that particular moment that it wasn't a surprise that he couldn't remember Cloud immediately.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled at him angrily, trying to get through to Sephiroth. "What are you thinking!? What are you doing!?"

Sephiroth didn't answer him, and ignored his question. Instead he began to breathe in deeply, slowly lifting his head to look up at the ceiling of the engine room. His tired eyes seemed to brighten up a little as he breathed in, the air finally waking him up to everything that was around him. It was as though he was just waking up from his 'long sleep', and finally beginning to take notice.

"…The time…… is now…" he said. Even his voice seemed awake now.

"What!? What are you saying!?" Cloud demanded, fed up with Sephiroth's nonsense. "Be more – "

He never had the chance to say anymore, because very suddenly Sephiroth flew forward with amazing speed. He zipped right past Cloud and the others with such surprising force that they were all knocked back from the sheer impact alone. Without even pausing Sephiroth turned and flew upwards towards the ceiling away from them. A bright flash followed as he neared the top of the engine room, and something dropped down towards them. Sephiroth then disappeared, leaving the group alone with the item he had dropped.

It looked somewhat like a tentacle or an arm of sorts, covered in thick flesh and seeming to have been cut from something. It was also alive, for just as the group began to climb to their feet the tentacle suddenly began to swish and flip around the floor with a mind of its own. It slowly flipped back and forth like a fish out of water, and Yuffie and Aeris were forced to back up against the wall as it slid slowly over towards them.

"That smell…" said Red XIII as he sniffed the air. He shook his head and glared furiously at the tentacle. "It is an evil smell."

Barret cautiously stood up and headed over towards the tentacle as it flopped about the floor, his gun-arm raised and ready to shoot the thing if it made any other sudden movements. As he drew closer to it Naruto began to feel a sense of apprehension and dread, as though he could feel the wicked vibes that were radiating from it. Nanaki was right. It was evil. In a flash of realization so strong it felt as though he had been hit by a truck, Naruto suddenly looked up at Barret.

"Barret! Get back!!" he yelled.

Barret jumped away just in time and fell against the wall. At that very moment when Cloud had called out to him, the thick, fleshy skin that covered the tentacle suddenly burst open without warning and unleashed several beams of purple-black light. Dark blood began to ooze thickly from the wound and spread slowly across the floor into a large puddle.

The skin seemed to come alive on its own, beginning to open up and unfold of its own free will. Its fleshy complexion suddenly began to bubble and burn, as though acid had been poured on it. The burning released a powerful stench into the air, and hot steam began to rise up and shroud the tentacle from view. The cloud grew taller and taller until it reached the ceiling, and a tall silhouette appeared within it. The silhouette had a large, bulky body, with a small head that turned back and forth in the cloud of steam. It finally locked its shadowy gaze on Naruto.

Naruto had been gripping onto the handle of his sword right then, watching calmly as the shadow began to rise in the steam. Yet as he felt the shadowed gaze of the creature lock gazes with him, Naruto felt an instant of hesitation. His blood ran cold only for a moment, feeling like a wave of pins and needles spreading across his body and making it ache – the sense of pure evil that radiated from this creature was incredible. It felt stronger that when he meet Kyuubi for the first time, falling down that ravine. Even so it lasted only a moment, and Naruto narrowed his eyes, unafraid, as he realized what this was.

"Jenova,"

The steam finally began to thin and disperse, slowly revealing the creature that had been born from the acidic mist. Its shadow became a visible form that sent powerful waves of evil throughout the air, standing well over ten feet tall so that the top of its body nearly touched the ceiling of the engine room.

Its body was made up of thick, rubbery skin that was deformed and disjointed with no real correlation. It had elongated shoulders that stretched out wider than humanely possible, the ends spreading like spider webs tipped with tentacles that curled round like claws. It had but one tentacle-like arm – the other looked like it had been ferociously torn off to leave but a few long strands of loose flesh that wriggled round of their own free will. Below its thin waist its body spread out again as though wearing a fleshy dress, with a single tentacle-like tail.

Lastly there was its face, set in deep on a long, craned neck that looked down at the group. That face was thin and bony, unusual after seeing the loose flesh covering the rest of his body. Its black eyes glared out emptily at the group one by one. Those eyes… they had intelligence, nothing that any real monster had ever truly shown before.

Stretching and raising its fleshy arms, the creature let out a furious, heart-clenching screech. The sound echoed throughout the engine room as well as the lower decks of the ship. Lifting up its thick tail off the ground it pointed the tip towards Cloud and Tifa, who were the closest to it. The tail's tip began to glow brightly, before a beam of light abruptly burst out from the tail and zipped towards them. Cloud and Tifa jumped away from each other as the light struck the ground where they had stood, letting it fire into the ground.

The laser pierced the metal with ease, the edges around where the light went through melting and curling in on itself from the intense heat. The laser continued to move across the floor towards the body of the fallen guard. It missed him only by inches and stopped just before hitting the wall where the engines were built.

The creature's tail twitched violently as a parade of bullets suddenly flung through the air and struck its hideously malformed side. Sprays of green-black blood oozed from the wounds and slid down the creature's side. The creature shrieked again, the ground quaking beneath its flat, seemingly footless body. It slowly began to turn, a squelching sound coming from beneath it as it moved, the blood trickling down towards the metal floor. It eventually stopped as it faced Barret, who had moved away from the wall and was standing directly behind it, his gun-arm aiming for its head.

He immediately opened fire as the creature turned, and the bullets powered up to its already deformed face, Gaara joining in. The creature moved away in time, but at least two bullets connected with the side of its face. They seemed to cut right through with ease and sunk deep into the skin, as though there was no bone to cut through. The rest of the bullets missed completely and hammered into the back wall. The creature seemed to grin a large, black grin and began to advance on Barret, its tail sliding silently behind it. It raised its one good tentacle arm, the tip glowing, and prepared to bring it down on Barret and Gaara.

Nanaki, unable to watch anymore, leaped up from the ground and clamped his jaws firmly around the tentacles arm. His sharp fangs sunk deep into the flesh, surprised at the firmness of it. A sour taste of rot and decayed flesh hit his senses and he almost let go, but he just curled his tongue back as far as it would go and held on.

The creature, enraged by Nanaki 's attack, swung its arm furiously in an attempt to throw him off. It lifted its tentacle-arm high up into the air and swung it round, but Red XIII simply dug his claws into the arm, wrapped his tail around for extra support and held on.

Temporarily distracted in its quarrel with Nanaki, it was time for the others to attack. Barret opened fire again, sending more bullets up into the air. The creature's body shuddered again as more bullets were flung into its flesh, allowing more green-black blood to pour from its side. In response the creature raised its tail and moved it forward between itself and Barret, shielding itself from the bullets. Its tail was made of thicker, firmer flesh, and the bullets found it much harder to penetrate. Of course, lifting up its tail made the back of the creature bare and very exposed to a direct rear assault.

Sensing this Naruto powered up his lightning materia and, with a little help from Kyuubi, the sword was covered with glittering blue flames. He then activated his Kikangan and darted behind the monstrosity, golden chakra flaring round him. He gripped the sword with both hands and yelled out, "Blue Flare!"

He then shoved it in its rear and then he released the blue flames but at the same time concentrated it with his chakra. The result was a 12 foot long blue shimmering beam of chakra laden lightning and kitsune fire. It ripped through the monster, almost severing it in half. Naruto then darted back to face it.

Cloud was kneeling on the ground right then, where he and Tifa had fallen after dodging the creature's tail laser. Standing up he lifted his sword and darted forward, levelling the sword in front of him. He then thrust it forward and buried it deep in the open flesh of the creature's back, even if he could only reach up to its lower waist. His blade sunk in only halfway – beyond that the flesh became more compact and harder to push the blade through.

Feeling the blade's sharp edges inside of it, the creature roared angrily. In retaliation it flipped its tail back with amazing force. Barret ducked in time for the tail to move over his head, but with his blade still stuck in the creature's side Cloud couldn't move away, and the tail struck him hard as it spun round. The blade came out as Cloud was thrown back to the far wall, where he crashed against it and fell to the ground, the sword clattering at his feet. Tifa immediately ran to his side and knelt beside him.

Retaliating from Cloud's assault, the deformed creature swung its arm around and threw Nanaki against the wall. A loud crack sounded throughout the room as Nanaki was slammed against the wall and released, also falling to the floor.

While the creature's arm was suspended in the air, a quick flash of metal zipped through the air, and the creature roared as its arm fell cleanly from its body and onto the floor, allowing even more blood ooze onto the floor. The creature thrashed and writhed, its roars almost ear-piercing, while the shuriken flew back like a boomerang through the air to Yuffie's hand where she was waiting for it.

It was then that the final direct assault took place. Barret, safe in his position, opened fire at the open wound of its arm where the flesh was ruptured and soft. Nanaki clambered to his feet and leaped up the side of the creature's body, dodging the bullets, and attacked its face directly, clawing and scratching and biting wherever he could. Yuffie guarded Aeris, throwing her shuriken so that it whipped round and cut more holes in the flesh.

It was enough. A final cry of despair and pain made Barret and the others all stop their attacks and step back. The creature's entire body shuddered before them like an out-of-control fit. Blood ran down over almost every inch of its body, its already misshapen form even more deformed by bullets, claws and blades. More smoke then began to seep out of those wounds, the same colour as before, and began to envelope the creature once again. Inside the cloud the creature roared, its silhouette burning as though on fire, until its cry and its form seemed to fade into nothing. The smoke slowly evaporated, and the echo of its cry died down to nothing and left the engine room quiet, bar for the rumble of the engine.

For a moment or two no one said anything, catching their breath after the creature's disappearance. Tifa was still kneeling by Cloud, tying a bandage from her own wrists around his wrist where the metal wall had cut through when he fell. All that remained of the creature to prove of its existence was the same arm-like tentacle that had been cut clean off by Yuffie's shuriken, although this time it wasn't wriggling or flopping. Now it was lying dead and motionless on the ground in a pile of ooze, a single ball of red materia lying silently next to it.

"Eeeew!" Yuffie squealed, her bones turning to jelly as she looked at the disgusting pile of flesh in the middle of the engine room. "What is it! GROSS!"

Everyone gathered around the dead tentacle-arm, including Tifa and Cloud, after Cloud assured her that his wrist was only scratched and not badly hurt. They all looked down at the pile of dead mottled flesh, unable to fight the feeling that they knew who or what the creature had been.

"I've seen this somewhere… before," said Tifa, confirming everyone's thoughts.

"It is Jenova, or at least part of it," answered Naruto.

The name sent chills down everyone's spine. Even though Yuffie had only been told of this by Kyuubi, it still chilled her blood. Jenova was the strange, headless creature that had been locked away in the Shinra science laboratory. At least, that was until Sephiroth appeared and released it, dragging it away from the headquarters. Cloud had almost forgotten about Jenova, the Ancient who was Sephiroth's mother. Except the creature they had just fought was certainly not headless. It had been alive and intact.

"Jenova…" muttered Barret, the sick taste of disgust in his mouth. "You mean he's been walkin' around with that thing?" He watched, as Cloud stood up mechanically, his Mako-eyes almost blank as he became lost in thought.

"So it WAS Sephiroth?" he said.

Those words were the realisation that everyone had feared. Somehow they had hoped, by some weird miracle, that Sephiroth was indeed dead and all the rumours were just rumours. Yet now it seemed that Sephiroth was alive, and they had seen it with their own eyes. Tifa secretly clenched her fists tightly in anger as her memories of Sephiroth haunted her. The memories that made her move to Midgar, where her only surviving friends still lived. Now she was being forced to relive those memories again.

"He said something about it being time for something," she said, trying to shake off the painful memories. She couldn't afford to lose herself to the fear that this could lead to her losing more people that she cared about.

"……Time… is now?" Cloud said, repeating Sephiroth's words. They made no sense, but that was no surprise. Sephiroth had seemed to be in some sort of trance throughout the whole meeting.

Aeris scratched her head. "Hmm… I don't get it," she said, giving up. "Hey, Cloud, can you explain it to us?"

Behind her, Yuffie nodded her head vigorously, clearly the most confused out of everyone since they had had little time to explain everything to her. Cloud sighed heavily. He was just as confused.

"…I'll try," he said. "But don't interrupt me while I'm explaining." He took a moment to collect his thoughts, then breathed deeply before beginning to explain the events so far. "Sephiroth went off searching for the Promised Land, so he could become the ruler of the planet… That was five years ago. Then Sephiroth came back and killed President Shinra. And then just now all of us saw Sephiroth. He was carrying Jenova with him… This much I do know. He told me he wants to go to the Promised Land with his mother, Jenova…" He shrugged. "I guess that's about it."

He stopped as the speaker above them crackled into life, and the strong but still anxious voice of the ship's announcer rang throughout the ship, making them all jump violently.

"Dock workers – We will be docking in Costa del Sol in five minutes. Prepare for docking."

Everyone immediately sighed with relief, glad to hear that news. Clearly everything was back to normal on the ship, despite the battle that had gone on below. Pretty soon they would be back on dry land and away from the cluttered, claustrophobic decks of the ship. Hopefully away from Sephiroth and the Shinra as well, although they knew that would be too much to hope for.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay in here anymore…" Aeris said as the voice of the announcer died down.

One by one everyone nodded and headed towards the door, Naruto picking up the ball of Materia as he went. Inside the new materia, also summoning materia dropped by Jenova, was the image of the fiery beast known as Ifrit. Naruto slipped the Shiva materia out of his pocket and unslung his sword before slipping both summon materia into the sword. He then went to the door as Tifa walked out, before stopping and looking back at the emptiness of the engine room. Soon the ship staff would find the bodies of the workers in here, and he wondered whether Shinra would blame it on them or Sephiroth.

He looked around one more time, until he finally turned around and left the engine room and its lost souls behind.


	24. Chapter 24: Costa del Sol

**Chapter 24: Costa del Sol**

It wasn't long before the shores of the next continent finally came into view, just as the announcer had promised. It was still a few minutes before the port town came into view, much to the immense relief of the sailors who had all gathered on deck to watch it grow into view.

Slowly but surely, there it was. The port town and popular holiday resort of Costa del Sol, the opposite partner of Junon where the two continents connected through this one main ship line. Seeing the town with its long, sandy beaches and clear, lustrous waters was such a wonderful sight to the tired sailors. After the alarm had sounded and the bodies discovered, every one of them had become very anxious to get off the ship and onto the safety of the land again.

Finally the Shinra ship pulled into the dock, its engines grinding as they came to a stop. The anchor, previously hanging against the side of the ship's frame, was lowered carefully into the water so that it would hold the ship still and prevent it from drifting off into the ocean again.

There were a number of small motorboats docked in the quay, but the Shinra ship was the only large ocean-going vessel. It caught the attention of the locals and holiday makers who were bathing on the smaller boats, dressed in as little clothing as possible to soak up the sun. They all stood up in their boats and looked as the ship stood silent in the water.

Once all the sailors were out of sight inside the ship preparing to leave, a small door on the deck of the ship opened up beside the stairs that led down to the dock. Naruto and his team ran out of that doorway and down the stairs, hoping to make a quick and quiet escape before Rufus and the Shinra could spot them.

One by one they ran out of the door and onto the dock. They were immensely glad to feel the hot sun against their skin, warming them up within the space of a few seconds and relieving the horribly cramped feeling they had had in the depths of the boat. Yuffie chose to make her exit by jumping off the top of the boat and down to the dock. When she landed she ran around as though checking everything out, before she ran back to join Naruto and the group at the edge of the dock.

As she joined the group once again, she saw that their relief of being back in the sunshine was quickly dissipating. Costa del Sol was a holiday town as well as a port, and the sun was very, very hot. So hot in fact that the group were already beginning to sweat.

"Damn! Sure is hot here!" Barret exclaimed. "But I sure feel better now that I can say goodbye to that sailor suit." Beads of sweat trickled profusely across the black skin of his face and arms. He wiped his face and snarled at how wet it was. He shook his hand vigorously, shaking off the sweat drops. "Yo listen up!" he added suddenly, seeming to take charge again. "Y'all be sure to mingle like regular folks here!"

To one side Naruto and Tifa rolled their eyes, while Aeris sidled over to Barret and stood close next to him with a sly smile on her face. "Oh, too bad," she said. She looked up at Barret and fluttered her eyelids. "I liked Barret's sailor suit. He looked so cute."

Barret stared down at Aeris, who continued to look up at him with the strange smile on her face. Around him he could hear the giggles of Tifa and Yuffie, as well as the stifled laughs of Cloud, Naruto and Nanaki. Gaara just smiled in an amused way. "…" he muttered, looking around at the others forcing back their laughs. He snapped round back to Aeris, his eyes flared despite the sweat pouring down him. "What ya mean 'cute'?"

"Right… well, uh…" Tifa stammered. She hoped to calm down the situation before Barret exploded, for the veins in his neck were already flared to the max. "Barret, why don't you use that sailor suit for pajamas? Right, Cloud?"

"I guess," Cloud replied absently. Then, realizing Tifa had dropped him in it, he quickly shook his head. "Ahhh… You look like a bear wearing a marshmallow."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" roared Barret, his fists up in the air ready to bring them down on Cloud and wipe the smirk off his face. "This happens to be the most comfortable, so shu'up!"

"Would you kindly hurry?" Nanaki said suddenly. He was crouched very low on the floor, his paws barely visible beneath his bulk, his tail lying flat against the floor, and he was panting heavily. "The heat here is drying my nose."

"Well, let's go check into the inn and we'll explore the town. See if good old Seph came through here," said Naruto, looking round at everyone and added, "Don't wander too far off,"

"I'll wander wherever I damn well want!" Barret snapped. To prove his point, he ran off towards the town, leaving Naruto and his group behind without even a glance back.

Naruto shook his head, and looked down as he saw Nanaki slowly crawling past his feet. The mammal's feet were shuffling incredibly slowly across the floor as though he could hardly even move, and his fur was already damp and clammy. "It looks like my mane got messed up," was all he said as he crawled by. "I'm going to rest somewhere cool."

"I think I'll go swimming," Tifa said suddenly, looking at Aeris.

"Sounds good to me!" Aeris replied with a grin. After all, Costa del Sol was a holiday down. Aeris then stopped as another sly grin appeared on her face, and she ran over to Cloud. "Hmm, Cloud, are you thinking of anything in particular? Your cool exterior's cracking…"

Cloud almost choked and glared at Aeris in surprise and shock. His face, already reddened by the heat, turned to a deep crimson and Cloud had to quickly turn away to hide the embarrassment. Aeris just laughed, pleased that Cloud had reacted the way she had hoped.

"Well then, let's go!" she said, turning back to Tifa, who was giggling. The two dragged Yuffie who hadn't decided what to do yet.

After taking a minute to cool down and return his skin to its normal color, Cloud then made his exit from the dock and headed into the town.

Naruto and Gaara suddenly jumped back up to the ship and crouched behind the rails.

And just in time too. A helicopter bearing the Shinra logo flew in from the outside of the town and headed straight towards the dock. It moved over to a helipad at the far end of the dock, hovered for a second, before slowly lowering itself onto the pad. Its long tracks settled onto the pad, and the chopper blades slowly stilled. Only then did the doors to the ship open once again, and Rufus and Heidegger exited from the ship, along with two sailors who were very relieved to be back on dry land.

"What a long boat ride that was!" one of the sailors exclaimed. He took a deep breath, glad to feel its freshness, although it was still quite salty from being so close to the sea. Still, he was on land again, and that was all that mattered.

"Hmmm…" Rufus said thoughtfully. He looked around the dock, obviously looking for someone, but he couldn't see them anywhere. "Good work everyone…" he said instead.

"Gya, heh, heh… ha!" Heidegger coughed, catching the very angry glare from Rufus as he began to laugh again. He stammered nervously under his breath, before turning towards the helicopter. "Hurry up with that!" he shouted.

"Yes sir!" replied the pilot, who was standing beside the helicopter. He saluted and quickly ran back to work, preparing the helicopter for take off again.

Satisfied that the helicopter workers were now working instead of standing around, Heidegger turned back to Rufus. The Shinra President was standing with his arms folded and his head lowered in thought. There was also a frown on his face, so clearly he was thinking about what had happened on the ship.

When the alarm had sounded, Rufus had been rushed off to the emergency cabin to safety, and there he had stayed until the ship speaker had announced their arrival at Costa del Sol. He hadn't been able to see the sailors removing the bodies of the few that were dead, but he had heard the terrified rumors rushing among the sailors.

"I heard Sephiroth was on board," he said suddenly, not lifting his head or looking at Heidegger.

Heidegger froze, his voice stuttering a reply. "…Yes," was all he could muster.

"And it seems Cloud and the others were on board, too."

"…Yes," Heidegger said again, hanging his head.

"They all slipped through…" Rufus said quietly. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking it all through and letting Heidegger sweat at the thought of what Rufus would do. There was no doubt in Rufus's mind that Cloud and the others had already escaped the ship and were hiding in Costa del Sol, if they hadn't gone on ahead of them already. "You messed up big this time, Heidegger."

"I'm ashamed of myself," Heidegger replied pitifully, trying to make himself sound as pathetic as possible.

Rufus slowly opened his eyes and looked at Heidegger in disgust. "Is that all you can do…?" he asked. "Give one word answers and apologies for everything?" He got no reply from Heidegger, but it was clear from the look on his bearded face that he was shocked, and couldn't look at the President, deliberately turning his head away so Rufus couldn't see.

"Ready for departure, sir!" came the pilot's voice from across the dock.

Rufus nodded and turned towards the helicopter. He was about to pass Heidegger, when he suddenly stopped and gave him a sideways glance. "…Do something," he ordered sternly under his breath. "I'll be expecting results."

Heidegger continued to say nothing as Rufus walked past him and headed towards the helicopter. Once Rufus was far enough away from him, Heidegger turned sharply towards the two sailors who were standing near to the edge of the dock.

Catching Heidegger's angry gaze one of the soldiers panicked and ran quickly, but Heidegger quickly cornered him at the edge. Without a single care for the sailor's well being he pushed the sailor harshly into the water. The sailor landed with a cry and a large splash, sending spray up into the air. Heidegger than grabbed the second sailor, who knew better than to run, and threw him into the water also, creating another large spray of water.

Once he was done with the sailors, Heidegger snapped round and turned towards the group of bathers who were watching from the presumed safety of their boats. All of the bathers panicked and ran inside their cabins as Heidegger stormed towards them like an out of control bull, but Heidegger stopped at the edge and shook his fists, cursing loudly at them.

The sound of the helicopter blades made him stop, and he turned just in time to see the helicopter rise off the helipad and into the air. He could just see Rufus in the passenger seat of the chopper, not even looking down at Heidegger as the helicopter turned and flew off away from Costa del Sol, leaving him behind.

Naruto and Gaara poked their heads over the edge and watched Rufus' helicopter fly into the distance.

"That Heidegger really likes to take his temper out on others," noted Naruto.

"Yeah," replied Gaara.

"Well since the others are taking a break, why not we take one as well," suggested the sun kissed blond.

"I was just thinking that," smirked Gaara.

'Hey ladies, change into some beach clothes. We're going swimming!'

With that both boys charged their weapons with chakra and in two puffs of smoke, two very beautiful women appeared. Kyuubi was wearing a loose, light green t-shirt and white, very short shorts that showed off her very lovely, long legs. She had a light blue flower hairpin above her right ear that was holding back her long silky red hair, letting it run down her back. She was wearing light blue sandals.

Nibi was wearing a t-shirt as well, only it was white. Her pants were also short shorts that were light grey. Her long white hair wasn't pinned up but drawn back in a long ponytail.

Both woman looked at the boys (as the boys were gaping at them), realizing that they wouldn't be able to wear what they had on for much longer. Already they were starting to sweat. They found an unused doorway on the deck and Kyuubi used the Dimensional Storage 3 no Jutsu and opened her own room. This was different from Naruto's. Instead of drawers everywhere, there were clothes racks everywhere.

"Go choose something, then pack your normal clothes in here," said Kyuubi.

Naruto and Gaara started browsing around. After a couple of minuets Naruto had found and changed into a light pair of shorts that went down to the knees. They were bright yellow. He also had on a light blue with white criss-cross lines, shirt on that was unbuttoned, showing off his very well shaped chest. Gaara had the same thing on except the shorts were light red and the shirt was light green like his eyes.

Now the women were gaping at the guys, both trying not to be overwhelmed by certain thoughts. Eventually they calmed down and they all stepped out of the storage room and Kyuubi dispelled the jutsu. Then they jumped off the ship and walked towards the beach.

Naruto looked round at the town. Unlike dark and dreary city of Midgar and port town of Junon, or even the lonely and quiet village of Kalm, Costa del Sol was a bright and vibrant place, filled with people enjoying the sunshine and the sights. There was a small stage on which a band played a tune that suited the town to a T. The band consisted of a guitarist, a drummer, a double-bass player, a saxophonist and a trumpeter. (AN: The song is Costa del Sol by The OneUp Mushrooms from Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu.)

"Let's go down to the beach," suggested Kyuubi.

Everyone nodded and they made their way past the inn where Nanaki was snoozing in the shade. At least it looked like it. Upon further inspection they found he had one eye open and his tail was flicking a ball back to a bunch of kids who would then kick it back.

Naruto left the group and wandered up to Nanaki. The dog-like creature barely looked much better now that he was in the shade, but he still didn't look up at Naruto.

"Hm, that's interesting," Nanaki mumbled softly to Naruto, looking at his tail flick the ball back to the boys. "It's not as if I'm doing this because I want to. You see, this tail of mine moves quite independently of my will."

As if to prove his point, he yawned very loudly and shut his eye. Naruto watched as the boys kicked the ball back over, and was surprised to see Nanaki's tail twitch and catch the ball easily, flicking it back again. It really did have a mind of its own.

'Weird,' he thought before rejoining the others.

It turned out that Tifa, Yuffie, Cloud and Aeris were all on the beach. They all looked as Naruto's group walked up.

"Look over there," said Cloud and he pointed his hand further down the beach. At the other end of the beach was a large group of girls dressed in tight, bikini swimsuits. They were all draped around a deckchair, with a large umbrella shielding them from the sunlight. Lying in the chair was a man, whom they were all draped over. Normally this wouldn't be an unusual sight, except that the man was dressed in a long white lab coat, and had a head of shiny black hair and sharp glasses. It couldn't seriously be who it looked like. Couldn't be.

"Damn, now I've seen everything," Naruto mumbled. Meanwhile Tifa and Aeris were looking at Kyuubi's and Nibi's change of clothes. They seemed to be impressed and were complementing them on their choice. Naruto then whispered in Kyuubi's ear, "We're going to talk to Hojo with Cloud. I know it might not be very interesting but do you wanna come?"

Kyuubi thought about it before deciding against it, saying they were gonna get swimsuits for Tifa, Yuffie and Aeris and then swim. Naruto nodded and then he, Gaara and Cloud walked over to Hojo.

One of the girls looked up as Naruto's group headed towards them. She looked Cloud over, clearly unimpressed, and rolled her eyes.

"God!" she said sarcastically, clearly annoyed at Cloud's interruption of her fawning of Hojo. "What do you want?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "I want to talk with that man," he said, pointing.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" she demanded, sitting upright. Cloud stared back at her defiantly, until she sighed and turned to Hojo. "…Professor Hojo. That scary man says he wants to talk with you."

Cloud looked down at Hojo. The Shinra scientist had his eyes shut, his arms folded against his chest. He had known that since their encounter in Shinra HQ, when they rescued Aeris and Nanaki from being more scientific experiments, Hojo had been missing. He never expected to find Hojo here.

Until then Hojo had been resting with his eyes shut, and didn't even open his eyes as he said, "I'm busy right now," and fell turned his head away. One of the other girls began to run her fingers across his hair, making Cloud feel sick.

"…But. Too bad," Cloud said simply, folding his arms.

"No, I remember you all now…" Hojo said suddenly. He opened his eyes and slowly sat up, adjusting his glasses and looking up at Cloud. Cloud's body was outlined brightly in the sunlight, but Hojo could see him all right. "Yes, yes. I remember now. It's been a long time, Cloud."

Cloud frowned, not interested in any pleasantries from Hojo. He remembered all too well the things that Hojo did, now and in the past. It was his scientific experiments that created the human-like monsters found in the Nibelheim Mako Reactor, and Cloud couldn't forget that. Hojo was ruthless when it came to his experiments.

"Hojo…" Cloud said, trying to contain the anger in his voice.

"Sometimes you just gotta do something like this," Hojo said, lying back on the deck chair with his arms behind his head.

Cloud and the others stared blankly. "…What are you doing?" Cloud asked him.

"It should be obvious. I'm getting a tan."

"Answer me!" Cloud snapped, ignoring the fact that Hojo's skin was so unusually pale that it would have been impossible for him to gain any sort of tan other than a burning red of skin not used to the sun.

"Hmm!" Hojo snorted irritably. He pushed himself upright and adjusted his glasses again, looking up at Cloud with a knowing smile. "I believe we're both after the same goal," he said finally.

Cloud blinked at him blankly. "You mean Sephiroth?" he asked.

"Did you see him?" Hojo asked, looking up Cloud with such a gaze that it made Cloud feel slightly uncomfortable. Still, Cloud nodded, thinking back to Sephiroth's presence on board the ship. His nod seemed to satisfy Hojo's curiosity, and a smirk spread on his pale face. "I see… Ha! Ha!"

Cloud, Naruto and Gaara looked at Hojo in bewilderment as he sniggered silently to himself. He gently waved the girls away from him and stood up, his lab coat hardly even moving away from his skin as he moved. The peculiar smirk remained on his face as he stood, and he quickly moved his hand over his smile to hide his knowing sniggering.

"What is it?" Cloud demanded angrily, his hand itching to reach for his sword and put it to the egotistical scientist's throat. But there were far too many people around, and he would never get any answers if he killed Hojo outright.

"Nothing," Hojo replied, although it was clear that he was hiding something from them. "I just remembered a certain hypothesis…" He turned away for a moment, as though remembering more. He then turned and looked back at Cloud again, Cloud's image reflected in his glasses. "Haven't you ever had the feeling something is calling you? Or that you had to visit some place…?"

Cloud growled deep in his throat, his temper flaring. "I'll go anywhere Sephiroth is at!" he shouted, aware of the gazes of Naruto and Gaara behind him. "To beat him and put an end to all this!"

"I see…" Hojo said. He crossed his arms again. "This could be interesting. Were you in SOLDIER? Heh, heh, heh. Would you like to be my guinea pig?" He looked up as he saw Cloud reach for his sword, his fingers clasping around the handle, ready to draw it and kill him. "Oh, now what? Are you going to draw your sword?"

"Cloud," Naruto said as he put a hand on Cloud's shoulder, gaining his attention. He slowly shook his head.

Cloud glared back at him, but he knew Naruto was right. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't kill Hojo. It was far too risky. So as much as it pained him to do so, he released his grip on his sword, and Naruto let go of his shoulder.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Hojo laughed, clearly amused by Cloud's predicament.

Cloud then asked, "Is Jenova an Ancient? Is Sephiroth an Ancient?" Naruto and Gaara looked at each other. They knew the answer to that question.

He turned further away from Cloud and began to mumble something under his breath.

"…Head west…"

"He's mumbling slowly…" said Gaara. "He's not telling us everything."

Hojo looked back at them, the light from the sun on his glasses keeping them from seeing his gaze, although his expression was blank. Without saying anything more apart from a sigh, he lay back down on the deckchair, to the girls who were waiting for him. "…" he mumbled.

"Looks like we aren't going to get anything else out of him," said Naruto. The trio walked back to the girls who had finished changing into their swimsuits.

Tifa had chosen a black one piece swimsuit. Aeris went with a pink two piece bikini with a fringe round the edge. Yuffie went with dark green shorts and a light green t-shirt. They all looked great but it was Kyuubi who really caught Naruto's eye.

She was wearing a red one piece that had a pattern of pink sakura petals. She had her hair in a ponytail. She looked like a goddess and he was very thankful that the telepathic link didn't work when Kyuubi was out.

Gaara's eyes were on Nibi. She was wearing a black bikini and her hair was also in a ponytail.

Kyuubi tossed some blue shorts to Cloud and told him to get changed. Cloud realized that he was too stressed out and that a swim would do him good. So he went into a changing shack as Naruto and Gaara took off their shirts and dived into the water. Kyuubi and Nibi followed but the rest waited for Cloud.

The afternoon was then spent having fun in the ocean and on the beach. They had all started in the water and Aeris had splashed Cloud. Cloud glared at her before splashing water back but the wave of water missed and hit Naruto. Naruto stood still for a moment and then yelled out, "WATER FIGHT!" before splashing water at Kyuubi. This resulted in everyone splashing everyone else and Gaara was winning thanks to his use of sand to dislodge huge amounts of water at people before Naruto dropped the bomb and used the first stage of Rasengan to blast everyone. After that the girls got out to sunbathe. Kyuubi produced a bottle of suntan lotion from somewhere and asked Naruto to put some on her resulting in a very red faced Naruto nervously rubbing it into her back. Gaara was smirking until Nibi tapped him on the shoulder and indicated that she wanted the same treatment from him. At that point Gaara was about as red as Naruto.

As the sun was setting, they all relaxed and were also joined with Barret and Nanaki and they all watched the sunset. Naruto then noticed that Yuffie was missing only to see her running down the beach with a bag full of fireworks. Their section of the beach was then lit up by the fireworks as Naruto used small Katon jutsu's to light them. He then got out his phone and selected a song called Nichiyoubi by Deen from Dragon Ball Z: Best Collection. The soft melody floated round the beach as the rest of the fireworks went off. They then decided to go back to the inn to wash off. As they were wandering through the town central square (even though it looked like a circle), they herd some music playing and saw some people dancing to it. Naruto grabbed Kyuubi's hand and pushed his way toward the DJ and waited until the music stopped and then whispered to the DJ. He nodded and Naruto asked Kyuubi, "Do you know the Mambo?" She nodded and he selected the song Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega on his phone. He made sure to delay the song several seconds so they could shoo everyone out of the dancing area and get into position. Then the song started and they were off. Naruto had self taught himself to dance from books he snuck out of the library. And by the way he danced it showed that he had taught himself well. The two were fast. Very fast. Everyone was looking at them as they did spins, flips, turn arounds and whatnot. When the song finished ant they stopped dancing there was a huge round of applause for the two. Naruto had a goofy grin on his face and Kyuubi had a big grin on hers. Naruto then reclaimed his phone, rejoined the group and walked to the inn. They paid for a room and then dropped down on the beds and went to sleep.

As Naruto awoke in his mind he realized that he was starting to look forward to these visits. Kyuubi must've been worn out from the day for she was sleeping next to him, clad in her black kimono again. He started thinking about what Hojo had said. Head west, he had mumbled before he lay back down on the beach. He would have to ask Cloud later on where that would take them. He then started thinking about Leaf Village and all his friends. He wondered how he was going to explain to Baa-chan that Kyuubi was not evil. That was going to take a while. He wondered about Sasuke and how he could get rid of the seal. Thinking about Sasuke being possessed by the curse seal made him think about Sephiroth and how the two seemed so familiar. He came to the conclusion that Sephiroth might be possessed just like Sasuke. There had to be a way to purify the thing possessing him, whatever it was. Naruto then remembered something from Cloud's story.

_"How does it feel?" he asked Cloud curiously. Cloud looked back at him, confused. "It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown..."_

_Cloud blinked in puzzlement. "Ummm... how 'bout your parents?" he asked, finding it a little hard to believe that someone could not have a hometown._

_Across from him, Sephiroth crossed his arms and looked down in thought. "My mother is Jenova," he said. "She died right after giving birth to me. My father..."_

"That's it!" he said out loud, but quietly. He didn't want to wake Kyuubi. It seemed he had Jenova cells in his body. There was no way that Jenova was his mother. The cells probably created a false persona just like in Cloud. If there was some way to separate the alien cells from his own, or purge them. Then the possessing would stop.

'I would have to run it over with Kyuubi, just in case,' he thought before he laid down next to Kyuubi. He brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her face and smiled. Three of her tails shifted and draped themselves on Naruto before wrapping themselves around his body. It felt really nice and so Naruto didn't push them off. Instead he drifted off to sleep with his last thoughts wondering if his friendship with Kyuubi was getting to the point of 'more than just friends'.

* * *

Naruto woke early in the morning. The sun hadn't risen yet so he got up and stepped out of the hotel. He talked with Kyuubi after she popped out of the air and told her his idea. She agreed that it would work and that she knew of a medical jutsu that would separate the alien cells in his body and head and destroy them. But after that she had no idea what would happen to him. Naruto clamed that they would "dodge that jutsu when they came to it,"

The two then decided to check out the stores. They came across the materia store that just opened for the day and had a look on what was display. Poison, Restore and Earth materia were there as well as the common Ice, Fire and Lightning. Butch, the owner of the Materia Stall, spoke to Naruto.

"I ordered some Seal and Revive materia but they haven't arrived yet. Be sure to check back with us, ok?"

Naruto nodded before he picked up one restore and two earth.

"That will be 3000 gil please," said Butch. Naruto paid the man and walked away with the new materia. The two then walked into the bar and spoke to the bartender. It seemed he had some bracelets to sell. Naruto bought a Platinum Bangle for everyone except himself and Gaara. They didn't need it.

They then walked to the edge of town and waited for everyone else to wake up. Gaara and Nibi were the first to meet them. Then Barret met up with the rest of the group. Nanaki was next shortly followed by Tifa and Aeris. And then finally Cloud, still sleepy eyed, walked to the group.

"Now that everyone is here I did a little shopping and bought you guys some stuff. Barret and Nanaki, here's an Earth materia for you and for Aeris is a Restore since you gave yours to Tifa when we left Midgar. I also have upgraded amour for all of you." He then proceeded to pass them all out.

"Now that that's done, where to we head from here? I heard from Hojo to head west but isn't that mountains? Cloud, you tell us where to go,"

Cloud thought for a couple of seconds before he answered, "The only way to get to the west part of the continent would be to go all the way south, to the Southern Mountains, and pass through them to the west continent."

"OK. Let's head out. We won't split up this time since it's easier to overcome obstacles. And I hope you don't mind but I'll control the summons," No-one had any problems so the set out from Costa del Sol and made their way south.

AN: Hello everyone. Keep the reviews coming. I'm glad you all enjoy the story. I understand that the grammar isn't the best but this is the first time I've written something so big before. But still I will continue the story for myself and for you guys who support me. Every time I get a review (Even though most are so small) I am filled with a sense of fulfillment. As if I've accomplished something great. I appreciate everything you have said and am surprised at the amount of approvals for the story. If the reviews get up to 100 I'll publish a short piece to the side of the main story. So as I've said before, keep em' coming. I look forward to the future reviews you guys will write. For now, See Ya!


	25. Chapter 25: Climb to Mt Corel

Chapter 25: Clime to Mt

**Chapter 25: Climb to Mt. Corel**

When the group got far away from Costa del Sol, Naruto summoned the chocobos Myifee, Heppe, and Jansen. Naruto and Yuffie road on Myifee, Barret and Tifa road on Heppe and Cloud and Aeris road on Jansen. Nanaki ran along side them while Gaara used his hover board. After about an hour of riding (or in Gaara's case flying) across the Costa Plains they reached a magnificent sight.

"Wow!" Yuffie exclaimed, her eyes wide in excitement. "It's so pretty!"

The ground began to slope up the closer they got to Mt. Corel. They had reached the south of the northern part of the continent, where a large river separated them from the rest of the southern part. The only way onward was west, towards the entrance of the mountains. So they had decided to take a break on a ridge overlooking the river, where they could see the rest of the land.

On the other side of the river was another large stretch of grassy land, with the mountains on one side and the vast ocean on the other. What had caught Yuffie's eye was a tall and shiny structure built right in the middle of that land, in the centre of an equally vast patch of desert. It was strange to have desert growing in the middle of grassland, but it was the brightness of the tower-like structure that made Yuffie's eyes shine.

From a distance it looked like a giant, oversized flower made entirely of gold, with a number of rounded, golden leaves sticking out from the sides. It looked entirely cut off from the rest of the land, apart from two large cables coming from halfway up the structure to where the first of the 'leaves' was built, and down towards the mountains.

"What is that?" Yuffie asked as she slid off Myifee for a better look. Naruto was intrigued as well.

"I've heard of it," said Aeris, kneeling down beside Yuffie. "It's the Gold Saucer. It's a theme park. It's got loads of attractions, Chocobo Races, that sort of thing. I've never been there." She turned back to look at Naruto. "Can we stop there?"

Naruto nodded as he wanted to check it out himself. Cloud then spoke up. "First we have to get through the mountains." He turned away and saw Barret standing on the edge of the path winding up towards the mountain entrance. The elder man was the only one not looking at the Gold Saucer, and was tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. "What's wrong with you?" Cloud asked.

Barret looked over at him, and for a second Cloud thought he looked anxious. After that second had passed Barret's usual angry look replaced it. "Mind yer own business, pointy-head!" he snapped. He ran forward towards the edge, where everyone was looking at him. "Are we goin', or are we wastin' time sittin' here?"

Yuffie and Aeris got back on the chocobos and headed onward across the plains towards the mountain. It wasn't long until they were walking right alongside the mountain, following its trail to a second ridge where they could see the port town of Costa del Sol in the distance behind a small hill. From that point they could also see that they weren't being followed by anyone from the Shinra, and that most of the monsters residing in the area had not waken up yet. Still they kept on going, hoping to reach the next town before midday.

A long mountain ran along the side of the mountain, artificially carved by workers aiming to join up the often-disjointed fragments of the western continent. So a smooth, almost entirely level path had been cut out of the mountain, making it safe for travellers to cross. At the single point where the mountains separated to allow the river to flow between them, a strong wooden bridge had been built. Many travellers passed this way through the mountains to catch a glimpse of the waterfall, where water poured out of the side of the mountain and into the river. Yet the trail was a haven for Cockatolis and Needle Kiss birds that were known to attack unwary travellers, so they kept on going.

Finally they reached the spot they were looking for. In between all of the tall jagged points of Mt. Corel, there was one smaller mountain with a ragged natural path riding all the way to the top. Crossing that path would take them further into Mt. Corel, and hopefully towards the other side.

Thankfully, after many years of use by traveller and miners hunting for materia or coal, the path had become quite smooth and safe to cross. They hardly had to climb at all apart from the odd spot where the ground swiftly raised upwards and they had no choice but to climb over it.

Even on the mountain path, there were still plenty of trees growing on either side of the path, their winding leaves and grass covering the sides of the mountain. The ground was also still soft beneath their feet despite the roots that grew up and across the path, and the faint touches of rock that joined the path to the mountain. Looking ahead they could see the sun in its morning glory, a greenish light flickering between the trees and onto the floor, creating dancing patterns from the shadows of the leaves.

The group were surprised as they climbed over one particular ridge. As they climbed up and looked ahead they saw a man, obviously a traveller-of-sorts, sitting on a nearby rock and taking a break from the long haul up the side of the small mountain. He was just sat there on the rock, looking down at a map he had laid on his lap, and was muttering quietly to himself. He barely even looked up as Cloud and the others approached and stood near him, wondering if maybe they could ask for directions to save them wandering through the mountain.

"Whew!" the main sighed suddenly, wiping his forehead. He looked up suddenly and saw the group standing around him, and a wide smile spread on his face. "Hey! You're actually talking to me."

The group looked at one another, thinking that none of them had actually said anything to the man. Travellers were often reputed for being a little strange, talking to anyone whenever possible after many days of lonely travelling. This man had obviously been travelling for days although he looked freshly washed, probably from the waters of the river. They couldn't really deny him his chance to talk to someone after a long time.

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

The traveller smiled again, clearly happy to have the chance to talk. "I just passed a guy in a black cloak back there," he said, his brow creasing as he frowned at the memory. "I just tried to tell him that it's dangerous up ahead, and he ignored me!"

All sympathy for the travelling guy evaporated then, as Cloud spun round to look at his friends. A guy in a black cloak could mean only one thing…

"Sephiroth…" said Cloud, confirming everyone's thoughts.

There was another thing everyone realised right then, too. If the traveller was being truthful (for they were also known to exaggerate at times), then Sephiroth would not be very far ahead of them. He could still have been within the very same mountain they were standing on now, going in the same direction that they were. It seemed that Hojo was indeed telling the truth, despite how surprising it seemed. They were going in the right direction.

"Let's hurry on," said Tifa urgently, and the others nodded in agreement. They needed to follow this trail while it was still hot.

Without saying a single word more to the traveller they ran off into the mountain, their enthusiasm pumped up with the thought of catching Sephiroth while he was still inside the mountain. If they kept up a quick pace they could probably catch up to him before he escaped.

They ran on past the grassy path and onto the actual mountain path itself. In their hurry to catch up with Sephiroth, the group didn't even notice the quick and rapid changes in the scenery around them. Their minds were too intent on running to notice how the trees began to wither as they ran on, the brown of their trunks transforming into a dull and dreary grey as they struggled to hold onto life. The rocks beneath their feet turned the same familiar dead shade of grey, all of the life sucked from the ground to leave it blank. The only colour came from the sun in the sky, still casting its green morning glow, although not even its life-giving energy could not touch the dead ground.

The top of the path lay just ahead of them, and the group powered their way up to reach it and look down into the heart of the mountain. They didn't stop running until they reached the very top, where they skidded to a stop and looked down before toppling in.

Only then did they notice the dryness of the land and how dead everything had become the further into the mountain they headed. Thoughts of Sephiroth disappeared from their minds as they looked down into the crevice below, to the structure that was so horribly built at the bottom.

It was a Mako Reactor. A Mako Reactor built deep in the heart of Mt. Corel, in the location that was once a popular mining spot. Many tunnels had been dug into the sides of the mountain – paths for miners with trolleys who would dig up coal to take back, use and sell to other towns.

That, of course, was a long time ago. Coal energy hadn't been in use since the discovery of Mako energy, so even here a Mako Reactor had been built to replace it, and the miners were all long gone, taking the land with them.

"Oh man," breathed Naruto as he looked on in sadness. They all got off the chocobos and Naruto dismissed them, sending them back to their relm. Then everyone moved towards the edge and looked down.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired a single, solitary bullet towards the reactor. The bullet flew down and struck the metal of the reactor, even at such a great distance, and a loud ping resonated throughout the cavern, followed by the ricochet of the bullet as it fell to the ground and tumbled off the edge.

Everyone turned to look at Barret. They weren't surprised that he was angry at seeing another Mako Reactor, sucking up all the Planet's life energy, but they were surprised that he had only fired a single bullet at it.

Barret stood poised for a moment or two, looking out over his outstretched arm at the Reactor. He longed to fire a million bullets at it, tearing it to shreds with his own arm, or gun, whatever he could use. Just looking at the reactor as it stood there, the pipes running through the miners' tunnels to suck up the Mako from the Planet, made him feel sick. Eventually he lowered his arm, glared at the Reactor for a few seconds more, before he turned away from the others and began to head down the path that led towards the reactor. The others watched him silently, and then followed him down.

They had no choice but to pass the reactor. There was no way around it. The path they were on joined up to the metal bridges that wound their way around the perimeter of the reactor, so they had to walk right up close to the reactor's entrance in order to pass.

Barret remained entirely silent as they passed the reactor, barely even looking at it as he passed swiftly passed without a single pause. He turned at the next bridge to head back towards Mt. Corel; although this time they were on the other side of the river, where they needed to be. He was walking at such a rapid pace that it was hard for the others to keep up with him, but they had no choice.

They tried to get him to slow down at one point, as they passed the reactor and back into the mountain. It was clear from the layout of the paths that miners had once used them. There were many sturdy bridges specifically designed for carrying coal, swerving up and down where the mountains temporarily ended to reveal a deep chasm. The wood creaked loudly under their feet, but the wood seemed to be sturdy enough despite its age.

After a few minutes of walking across the bridges, Nanaki chose to run ahead to explore the immediate land ahead of them, to make sure that all was well for them to cross. There were many places where the bridges ran close and overlapped, as well as many places where the bridge broke apart with age. No doubt many miners would have lost their lives because of the wood's weakness. Thankfully with the age of Mako energy miners very few used the bridges, and less lives were lost.

As they took a lower bridge towards the river, they spotted Nanaki again. He was sat back on his haunches cleaning the fur of his paws with his tongue. He couldn't go any further because the bridge ahead of cut off – a drawbridge. Even though he was a canine-like animal with canine senses, he didn't hear Naruto and the others approaching. As such he was very surprised when he finally caught their scent on the faint breeze, and the sound of their footsteps, and turned sharply.

"Wha?" he asked, seeming confused. The cleaning of his paws must have been something to calm his mind while he thought about his predicament, but he calmed when he saw it was just the others. "Oh, it's you. There seems to be an instrument in that hut that manipulates this bridge. Perhaps it's best if we rest a moment."

Everyone stopped and looked across the gap. They could see the hut on the other side on an opposite bridge, with the faint shadow of controls visible in its narrow slit window. The only way across to it was back across the bridges, and cross where they overlapped to reach the other side.

"Okay, then… Let's move on!" Naruto said encouragingly.

"We'll wait here, you can move the bridge," said Aeris as she plopped herself down on the tracks. Everyone followed her example, even Gaara. Naruto glared at everyone before giving in. He turned around, muttering under his breath, and started to walk back up. He soon found the perfect place to cross in order to reach the bridge. Where the bridges wound up and down to carry the trolleys of coal, the bridges passed close together with only a small gap separating them from the long chasm below.

Even though the bridges stood so close together, Naruto took his time when preparing to cross them. After all the wood was quite old, and although it had managed to hold them all when they walked across it, he didn't know how it would hold when he jumped across. Just looking at the beams he could see the cracks in the framework, but it still looked sturdy enough.

Naruto stepped up to the edge of the beam, making sure everything was attached securely. He avoided looking down as he stepped up, for it was a very long way down and he didn't want to even think of falling down all that way to a painful death.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Naruto prepared himself for the jump. It wasn't that far a jump, not even a whole metre, but he couldn't just stretch across. When he was ready he stepped back on one foot, and then pushed himself off and jumped towards the other bridge.

There was a very loud creak as Naruto landed on the opposite bridge, his boots pressing down on the framework. It turned inward slightly as his full weight landed on the wood, and Naruto was sure he could hear the sound of splinters breaking from underneath him. He froze for a minute, his body frozen in the position he had landed – arms out, legs apart, slightly crouched over. He wasn't even breathing, his ears attuned to listen for any sign of breaking wood.

A full thirty seconds passed by before Naruto began to breathe again, choosing to take the risk as his lungs began to burn in need of air. Naruto relaxed his body at last, letting his arms fall to his sides as the tension subsided.

"That was f-ing close," he said out loud.

Yet as Naruto relaxed he unknowingly pressed down harder onto the wood. Beneath his right boot the wooden beam creaked further and a long crack split up the middle from where his boot was applying pressure.

"Ah shit," said Naruto before the beam broke apart beneath him and his foot fell down the gap, toppling his balance. The other beam supporting his other boot broke just a millisecond later from the strain and Cloud fell down, breaking the other thinner beams that crossed the bridge and towards the chasm.

Naruto, thinking very fast, did the Dragon and Monkey hand signs and yelled, "Fuuton: Tobikumo no Jutsu,"

He swooped out of there and started using the cloud to soar back into the air.

'I don't know why I didn't use this jutsu earlier but I guess that even though I've stopped holding back I'm still a little stupid,'

'**You got that right,'**

'Shut up, you,'

He deposited himself on the bridge and looked round. He then remembered that the others would be waiting for him to lower the bridge, so he shook himself off and headed quickly along the new bridge towards the control hut they hoped would lower the bridge.

The others were all looking up at the opposite bridge above them earnestly as Naruto finally passed by overhead. Aeris spotted him first and she jumped up and down enthusiastically, cheering loudly. The others looked seconds after that, shouting up words of encouragement to him as he ran on towards the hut.

It seemed more of a shack than an actual hut, Naruto noted as he approached it. It was incredibly small, much smaller than he had imagined it to be. He found out just how small as he threw open the door and ran in – right into the controls.

"Fuck!" he swore as more sharp pains hit his leg, which he realised was the edge of a metal table containing the control panel. He put out an arm as he felt himself fall, but his arm didn't even reach out before it hit the wall. "Sure is tight in here…" Naruto commented. "I guess that's what I get for running into here. Now lets see,"

He looked around at the panels in front of him. It was all very simple. All there was in front of him was a metal table with a large metal box on it, containing an old wheel that was covered in rust. It was too dark in the shed to see how it was connected to the bridge, but it was the only device in there – at least that wasn't too rusty to work.

"This is it," Naruto said confidently. "Maybe if I turn this…… something should happen. If not, I'll just force that bridge down myself."

He reached out and tried to turn the wheel. It was incredibly stiff after years of neglect, and flakes of copper-coloured rust broke off on his gloves as he gripped them. Realising that it would take a much harder push to make the wheel turn, Naruto took a step back, then leaned forward slightly to grip the wheel again, and began to push with all his might.

Finally, the wheel began to turn. A high-pitched screech echoed throughout the shed as more rust broke off the joints of the wheel and released it, letting it turn in short, sharp shots.

Outside, the wheel was beginning to have an effect on the bridge. The others looked on as the raised bridge shuddered slightly and began to lower itself down towards them. Aeris and Yuffie cheered together as the bridge then lowered faster, until it finally settled down in front of them, connecting the two halves of the bridge together to make it whole. Moments later they saw Naruto emerge from the shed, rubbing the wrist that was still bandaged by Tifa, and turned towards the others, who were running across the bridge already.

Instead of going back all the way across the bridges (and to avoid jumping over the bridges again), Naruto went up to the edge of the ledge he was on and slid down the side of the rock. He met the others as he reached the bottom, and they ran on round the side of Mt. Corel towards the final bridge that would take them back onto the continent.

The final bridge was much more secure than the other bridges, despite it being a rope bridge. The bridge stretched across another long chasm on the mountains, lowering down gently towards a final ledge near the foot of the final mountain. Many of the short wooden planks that made up the bridge had been replaced over the years, some still fairly new, so clearly people still used the bridge. Even the rope that joined the bridge to the mountain edge had been refreshed and was secure, so they were not too worried about falling off. Even so, they still held on tightly onto the rope handrail. Just in case.

Barret continued his silence all the way down the bridge, although he moved ahead of the others rather briskly, his large boots making the bridge shudder slightly. He ignored Naruto's protests for him to slow down and moved hurriedly ahead, almost deliberately, although no one could figure out why. Eventually they gave up calling to him and let him go on, where he reached the end of the bridge and ran off further ahead of them, disappearing behind a rock face.

When Naruto and the others finally reached the bottom of the rope bridge and onto the bottom ledge of Mt. Corel, there was absolutely no sign of Barret anywhere. He had run off somewhere, but they couldn't see him. Even when they called out to him he didn't answer them.

"Barret!" Tifa called. Her voice echoed throughout the mountain and sounded back to them, but there was no reply. She looked at Cloud, who shrugged back at her. He had no idea where Barret was.

"He is somewhere nearby," Nanaki confirmed. He was standing on a large chunk of rock, his head high to sniff the air. "His scent is still in the air." He took a deeper sniff. "There are others, too. Humans… and metal. But Barret is definitely there." He jumped down to Cloud.

"Hey," Aeris said suddenly, running over. "Has anyone else noticed Barret acting strangely since we entered Mt. Corel?"

Cloud nodded. "I always thought it was because of the Mako Reactor, but it's not like Barret to be quiet about it." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Normally he'd have a rant, going on about how much he hates the Shinra." He thought silently for a moment, before he looked up at Tifa. "Tifa, you've known Barret longer. What do you think?"

"I don't know," Tifa admitted. "I was part of AVALANCHE, but I didn't really know much about Barret. I just ran The 7th Heaven and kept people from intruding into the base. I didn't go on any missions until the No. 5 Reactor…" She turned away and walked to the edge of the ridge, looking down into the chasm. "Barret never talked about himself much, other than his beliefs that the Shinra were killing the Planet with their reactors. We – that is me, Jessie, Biggs and Wedge – never questioned him about it. We all shared the same hatred.

"Jessie had her own reasons for fighting the Shinra – her father was killed in a weapons experiment, and they blamed it on his incompetence, so her mother got nothing. Biggs and Wedge had their reasons too, as did I. Barret… I've never asked what his reason was." She turned to Naruto, looking at him earnestly. "We just followed whatever he told us to do."

Naruto looked at her earnest eyes, and eventually nodded. He was about to say something to her when the sound of angry shouting echoed from ahead of them. Everyone jumped and turned towards the mountain path heading out towards the plains. Naruto signalled to the others to follow, and they ran down the path.

More angry shouts could be heard as they ran – all human, as Nanaki had said. They sounded very angry indeed, filled with curses of outrage and fury, but there was no sign of Barret. They got closer and closer, until finally Naruto's team turned a corner and skidded to a stop, looking ahead of them.

Barret was standing just a few metres ahead of them between the mountain wall and what looked like the back of tent made of shaggy cloth. There were three men in front of him, a lot smaller than Barret, but they had extremely angry looks on their faces. Tifa made to run forward, but Naruto put his hand out in front of her to stop her. She looked at him, but he shook his head.

As they watched, one of the three men stepped forward and stood in front of Barret. The edge of his mouth twitched slightly as he struggled to contain the emotions welling up inside of him. Finally he swallowed, before suddenly clenching his fist and swinging it forwards.

It met Barret's jaw with a loud crack, and the others all gasped in shock, Naruto grasping the hilt of his sword. There was a momentary pause as the man stood poised with his fist in the air, and Barret's head tilted to the side from the punch, until the man finally lowered his arm and stepped back, his sudden burst of anger dying down just a little. Only when he stepped back did Barret move again, but he made no move to strike the man back. He just stood there, his face blank.

"Well, lookey here!" the man who punched Barret exclaimed mockingly, motioning to Barret. "Never thought I'd see your face again. They kick you out of another town or somethin'? You destroy everything you touch."

Barret remained perfectly still, his arms flat by his sides. Naruto noticed that his muscles were relaxed, as though he wasn't even angry. Normally Barret would have torn this man to pieces, but instead he just stood there and took the abuse that the man was throwing at him, ignoring the sneering faces of the other men.

"You got a lot of balls comin' back here!" the man continued, the anger rising again as he clenched his fists. He turned sharply and motioned to the land behind him. "Look at this place! It's all your fault North Corel turned into a garbage heap!" He looked back at Barret, who was still silent. "Why doncha say something? Or did ya forget what you done here already?"

The three men glared at Barret sternly through their angry eyes. Barret looked slowly from one to the other, hardly able to meet their gazes. Yet he accepted their condemning gazes in turn, before he sighed heavily and lowered his head to look at the dry, dirt-covered ground.

"…I'm sorry…" was all he could muster as a reply.

"Shit!" one of the other men said with a grunt, looking down his nose at Barret standing pathetically before them. "You ain't even worth the effort."

The third man nodded in agreement. "Don't waste your time talkin' to that Techno-freak!" he snorted.

With that, the three men all turned around and walked away from Barret, back into the 'garbage heap' that they called North Corel. Barret still didn't move as they left, and he didn't look up either. Behind him the others continued to watch, Tifa with her hand over her heart and a look of sympathy on her face, as well as confusion. Why did the men hate Barret so much? She watched as Naruto released his hold on his sword and walked slowly towards Barret.

"You heard 'em…" Barret said suddenly. Naruto froze. Barret must have heard them approaching. He watched as Barret sagged heavily once again. "It's my fault this town was… destroyed…"

Before Naruto could say anything to him Barret was up and off, breaking into a run towards North Corel and out of sight once again. He jumped as he saw Tifa run past him, trying to catch up to him before he ran too far. Naruto left her to it – she would probably have a better chance at catching up to Barret than he or the others did. Still… he also wanted some answers. He turned and nodded to the others standing patiently behind him, and together they slowly walked into the town of North Corel.

Entering the town, they saw why one of the three men attacking Barret had called it a garbage heap. There was hardly anything left worthy enough to call it a town, other than what had been made out of rubble and rock and whatever else they could find.

There were a few rundown houses standing, but that was all. Some of the houses had been built out of rock, made as best they could by the coal miners still living here. But other houses were merely tents made out of cloth that was barely able to keep out the rain. It was a complete contrast to the lively holiday resort of Costa del Sol, full of brand new buildings and bright, light colours. This place was mainly grey, like the mountain.

As for the people living in North Corel, none of them looked very happy. Their faces were long and drawn with the hard times that had been forced upon them. There were few women around; probably in the homes making sure the children didn't play in the rubble. The men were outside either running the odd few stalls they had, or collecting bits of metal to try and make something that would get some revenue into the town. The stalls were not very good, the items they had were very basic, and some had clearly been repaired from bad damage, and it still showed despite their efforts. Cloud could see why they had built the town in this specific area – travellers had no choice but to pass through when crossing the mountain.

When Naruto and his friends walked past the stalls, they could see the hopeful faces of the people, praying that they would buy something to get even just a little bit of money in. Naruto wondered what had happened to these people to leave them in such a miserable state.

As Cloud was following Naruto he saw Aeris walk over to one of the stalls – an items stall. Even though there was nothing particularly useful on the stalls, Aeris purchased a small bangle. She felt so sorry for the people, she just had to give something, and she knew they wouldn't accept handouts from them. The owner of the stall thanked Aeris as she handed him the money, and Aeris just smiled.

She caught Cloud watching her as she walked away from the stall, and she shrugged. Cloud felt the corners of his mouth move into a faint smile that no one else could see, but Aeris noticed it. She just beamed back at him, making Cloud tilt his head to the side in puzzlement. What was she smiling about? For some weird reason he felt a hot flush began to spread across his face, and he quickly turned away from her, scratching the back of his head.

"Cloud," said Nanaki suddenly.

Cloud looked up, relieved to feel the flush fading from his face, and looked to where Nanaki was standing and nodding his head. Looking past the hound he spotted Barret and Tifa next to what looked like an air station. Sure enough, there was a sign nearby saying 'Ropeway Station'. There was a large blue air cab standing on the rails attached to large cables heading away from the town. Tifa and Barret were standing on the platform, Barret turned away from Tifa as she spoke to him, but he didn't seem to be listening.

Tifa looked up as Naruto and the others approached. She seemed relieved to see them, and Naruto was sure he could see tears in the corner of her eyes. She then turned back to Barret, who continued to stand with his back to them, as though they weren't even there. Aeris was the first to break the silence.

"Barret, what happened?" she asked simply.

Slowly Barret turned his head and looked at Aeris, right into her calming eyes. Looking into the eyes of the Ancient, he felt a pang of regret.

"Sorry," he said simply, still looking at her.

"What happened?" Cloud asked, repeating the question just a little more harshly.

Barret turned his head further and looked at Cloud's stern face, before turning away from them all again. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, clearly trying to make a decision. Cloud in turn crossed his own arms and tapped his own foot, waiting for Barret to hurry and make up his mind. He didn't have to wait long, for a moment later Barret nodded to himself and turned back to them.

"My hometown used to be around here."

"What do you mean 'used to'?" asked Red XIII.

Barret shrugged. "It ain't here no more," he answered. "Heard it got buried… in just four years."

"But how could those people say those terrible things?" Aeris asked. Cloud glanced at her. Clearly she hadn't figured it out like he had.

"An' it's my fault," Barret said, making everyone jump in surprise. "ALL my fault."

"…My hometown, Corel's always been a coal mining town," Barret explained. He felt slightly awkward having to explain his own past, but he went on regardless. "It's so dusty, but calm and so poor… A real small town, this one. That's the first time I ever heard the word 'Mako Reactor' mentioned since that time…"

Barret then explained his and Dyne's augment on the Mako Reactor. Apparently Barret managed to convince him that having a Mako Reactor would be a lot safer and easier.

"That's how the Corel Reactor was built… …and completed. We all thought it would bring us an easier life."

"It happened when Dyne and I were out of town for a few days," Barret said. He looked down at the ground. "Corel was burned to the ground by Shinra troops. All the townspeople… all my relatives… Everyone… everything…"

"Shinra troops?" Cloud exclaimed. "What for?"

Barret narrowed his eyes angrily. The flames of the fire were almost burning in his eyes as he remembered seeing the flames ripping through his hometown. "There was an explosion at the reactor," he explained. "Shinra blamed the accident on the people. Said it was done by a rebel faction."

"That's so terrible!" said Tifa in horror.

"Well, I guess that's true," Barret admitted. "But more than Shinra, I couldn't forgive myself." He folded his arms and turned away, his face sour as he pouted in disgust. "Never should've gone along with the building of the reactor…"

"Don't blame yourself," Tifa assured him, giving him a comforting tap on the shoulder. "We were all fooled by the promises Shinra made back then."

"That's why… that's why I get so pissed off!" the man shouted suddenly. His gaze fell down on his gun-arm replacing his right hand. He placed his left hand firmly around the cold metal barrel, feeling the unnatural texture that should have been flesh, blood and bone. It was so unnatural, an eternal reminder. "Not only did they take advantage of me…… But I lost my wife, Myrna, too…"

He went silent then, along with everyone else. In the background they could hear the sound of scraping metal across the rocky floor, able to guess what happened after the fire. The survivors, however many they were, left the burned ruins that was Corel and settled home in North Corel, saving whatever money they could to survive. Aeris wanted to go back into the town and purchase a few more bangles, but Nanaki put his tail out in front of her and shook his head. The people of North Corel may have been poor, but they also probably didn't want the pity of outsiders. Aeris looked at him, and then slowly nodded her head.

"Hey, everyone!" Everyone turned to look behind them, towards the small office box that stood at the corner of the platform. A man was leaning out of the small window, looking at them with a look of impatience. "If you want to go to the 'Gold Saucer', hurry and get on!"

Naruto turned to the others and asked, "This is our chance to check out that park place,"

Everyone except Barret nodded their heads and they headed to the air cab. Aeris looked at Naruto with a smile on her face and mouthed "Thank you," Naruto just smiled back before turning back to Barret.

"Dyne was my best friend," he said, half under his breath. "We was close ever since we was kids…" He shook his head firmly, shaking off the memory, and headed into the air cab after the rest.

AN: Another chapter finished. Keep those reviews coming. I've been thinking of new ideas for the story and so I hope you stick around to find out what happens later.

Naruto: That is such a short piece at the end.

Kyuubi: Yeah it is.

JS: Well I don't know what else to say.

Naruto: By the way, what do you mean 'new ideas'?

JS: That's for me to know and you to find out.

Kyuubi: Don't worry Naruto. I'm sure we'll find out soon.

JS: Oh and by the way, I like the name for your new village.

Naruto: What name?

JS: You'll find out. There will be a spooky prediction later too.

Naruto: That doesn't sound good.


	26. Chapter 26: Fun, a Cat, and a Slaughter

**Chapter 26: Fun, a Cat, and a Slaughter**

Moods lifted once the air cab came to life and slid out of Ropeway Station, carried up into the air by the long cables they had seen on the ridge, taking them towards the Gold Saucer theme park.

Aeris and Tifa both pressed themselves against the windows and looked out as the land gradually fell further away from them and swept past. Land that they knew they would eventually have to walk across in order to head further south. Looking ahead they could see the mountain range spreading further south, and a vast forest separated from them by yet another river they would have to cross.

They were distracted from their map plotting when a large patch of yellow suddenly swept its way beneath them and made them look down. The green grass that lined the floor rapidly faded as yellow sand replaced it, swamping the grass and choking it out till nothing but sand remained. Unfortunately the sand did not belong to a beautiful beach like Costa del Sol. It belonged to a vast desert that stretched across the entire area.

Tifa remembered reading about the desert in the Midgar Times – an entire squad of Shinra soldiers had entered the desert and sank in quicksand. The desert was full of them, and no one knew just how deep they ran.

Lifting her gaze away from the sand and looking ahead, she quickly spotted the Gold Saucer. They had only seen it from a distance before outside the perimeter of Costa del Sol, but now it was rapidly coming up close into a perfect view. Even Yuffie was forced to break out of the silent mood she had been in since they set off and look out of the windows to see it.

It was not a disappointment. The Gold Saucer looked absolutely spectacular from above, and it would look even better at night. Up close it still looked like a giant gold flower with giant leaves, possibly even taller than Shinra Headquarters back in Midgar. Brightly coloured lights shone out from almost every leaf, shining through the air and reflecting off the gold plating that covered the entire building. Sliding open the air cab window the sound of carnival music hit their ears – festive and happy.

They looked down as they passed near one of the giant leaves, where a roller coaster sped past. They only briefly saw the people there, hearing their joyful screams for only a split second before they sped off back into the park. Aeris could barely contain her excitement and jumped up happily, grabbing hold of Yuffie's arm and pulling her round to see the roller coaster before it disappeared, for they were already beginning to descend to their departure point.

They landed on the very bottom 'leaf' of the theme park, entering a small tunnel that turned dark as they reached the entrance. The sound of the music became louder as they entered, and after a second two they emerged from the dark tunnel and out into the light again, this time inside the park.

Aeris was the first to jump out of the air cab and look around. She saw the tunnel that they had come out of, and saw that it was shaped like the head of a Mog, and that they had come out of its mouth. Turning around she saw a man walking nearby, also dressed like a big, fat, cuddly chick. The man spotted her looking at him, and did a fancy little bow.

"Welcome to the Gold Saucer," he said cheerfully.

Aeris beamed. Other people she had met dressed in mascot outfits were usually very grumpy, having to force a cheerful smile and a cheerful tone when they spoke. This man did not sound at all unhappy. The others came out of the air cab then after saying farewell to the driver, and together they headed towards the entrance leading right into the park. There was a woman, clearly one of the park's staff, waiting for them as they approached.

"Welcome to the Gold Saucer," she announced to the group, sounding just as genuinely cheerful as the Mog-man. "Are you together? A single pass is 3,000 gil, or you can purchase a lifetime pass for 30,000 gil."

Naruto dug into his pocket and fished out his money bag. He hefted the bag with one hand to determine how much there was. It seemed that there was definitely less than 30,000 gil inside and he looked at everyone.

"I don't know how much I have but I'm sure I have over 10,000 gil. We'll need more for the big one," he said.

Slowly but surely, the others began to empty their pockets. Everyone except Garra and Nanaki that is. Nanaki had nothing to carry money in, and Gaara left Naruto in charge of the money. Tifa managed to fish out 3,000 gil from the pocket of her skirt, and Aeris pulled out 1,500. Barret pulled out an impressive 7,000 gil that he had kept on him from the AVALANCHE savings. The only money Cloud had was whatever he picked up from his own jobs, the only recent ones being those he had done for AVALANCHE. So he threw his 3,500 gil onto the floor along with the others. Yuffie searched her pockets and was able to produce 5,000.

"That makes 30,000 gil exactly," said Tifa after she quickly counted it. She gathered up the money into a spare money bag and gave it to Naruto, who gave it to the woman.

"Lifetime Pass please?" asked Naruto.

"Thank you very much," she said. She pulled out a Gold Ticket from her pocket and handed it to Naruto. "If you have a Gold Ticket, you can come and go freely into the park… as long as you don't lose it. Here at the Gold Saucer, there are many places where you must pay with GP. Just think of 'GP' as money that you can only use at the Gold Saucer. GP can be redeemed at the games in the Wonder Square and at the Chocobo Races. Your GP limit is 10,000, so please be careful. Please enjoy yourselves." She then stepped aside from the door, allowing the group entrance into the park.

The main Station of the Gold Saucer was a very plain entry point. It was circular shaped, with a number of wide holes bordering the edges, each with a sign above it. In the Gold Saucer, the only way to get from section to section was through those special tubes that carried them safely from place to place. Aeris ran into the Station first and went straight to the map at the head of the room.

"Wow!" she exclaimed cheerfully, looking at all the wonderful attractions available in the park. "Let's have fun!" She turned towards the others behind her. "I know this isn't the right time to do this," she added. She stopped as she spotted Barret standing with his back to them, lost in his thoughts. Aeris ran over and stood beside him. "Hey, Barret, cheer up!"

Barret didn't reply for a moment or two, and didn't look at Aeris. "…I ain't in no cheery mood," he said finally, his voice extremely quiet. "So jes' leave me alone."

"Really? That's too bad," said Aeris. She spun round on her heel and ran away from Barret. She instead ran over to Cloud and linked his arm, putting her head fondly on his shoulder. "Let's go!" she exclaimed.

Ignoring Cloud's befuddled face, Tifa ran to Aeris with a rather shocked expression on her face. "Wasn't that a little harsh, Aeris?" she whispered. She had never seen Aeris act so harsh before.

Aeris lifted her head from Cloud's shoulder and looked at Tifa, not at all bothered by Tifa's almost angry glare. "Just act normal when this happens," she advised her, giving the young woman a wink.

Tifa stared, not entirely sure whether Aeris's thoughts were the same as hers. "You think so?" she asked.

"Of course!" Aeris replied confidently. She let go of Cloud, who still looked extremely confused, and ran back over to Barret. She stopped next to him again, a sly and knowing smile already on her face, and slowly reached up on her toes to get as close to his face as she could. "We're gonna go play…" she said to him.

That seemed to work. Barret's face creased up as a large frown appeared, and he clenched his fist tightly. He started to shake slightly, until finally… "So PLAY!" he exploded, the sound of his angry voice making everyone, including Aeris, jump slightly. "…messin' round. Fuck! Don't forget we're after Sephiroth!"

With that he turned and ran towards one of the transportation tubes, the one marked for the 'Wonder Square'. Everyone watched as he jumped down through the hole and disappeared, a loud whooshing sound being the only signs that he was off towards the Wonder Square. When he was gone Aeris slowly turned back to the others, a little surprised.

"…I think he's mad," she said, stating the obvious.

"He'll be fine," Tifa assured her. "He seems to be doing a little better now. We'd better be careful. Sephiroth might be around."

Naruto trying to hold his laughing in but he finally broke and "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone looked at Naruto and they all started laughing. As they finished they started looking round.

Aeris ran to another of the tubes, this one signaled to head for the Chocobo Races. She turned and gave the group a small wave before jumping down through the hole and disappearing with a whoosh.

Nanaki and Yuffie soon followed suit, choosing their own destinations separate from everyone else.

"Shall we?" asked Tifa.

Cloud looked at her for a moment, and then slowly nodded his head. They both headed for the Chocobo Races.

Naruto and Gaara summoned Kyuubi and Nibi and they both left for their destination, Naruto and Kyuubi going to the Wonder Square and Garra and Nibi went to the Battle Square.

* * *

The journey through the tubes was exhilarating – it felt rather like traveling on a wind slide. They were almost sucked easily down the tube before turning upwards as they shot up the stalk of the Gold Saucer structure.

When they emerged it was with the sound of a loud 'whoosh' as they flew straight up out of the tubes, the wind blowing them upwards, until they landed safely and securely on the ground. They took a moment to recover themselves from the journey, and then looked around at the Wonder Square.

"Woah, that was a rush," said Naruto as he shook his head a bit. They saw the main games room ahead and Kyuubi turned around and looked at Naruto using Puppy Eyes no Jutsu. Naruto could not resist and he nodded. Kyuubi beamed at him before running off to the games, her hair streaming out behind her. Naruto started thinking about how to think of Kyuubi. It seemed that they were getting into a relationship that was further along than simply friendship. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't know that he was being watched.

"Hey you!" came a peculiar, slightly mechanical voice. "What're you lookin' so down for?"

Naruto looked up and saw someone – or rather something walking towards him. It looked like a little black cat with a white muzzle, riding on the head of a gigantic stuffed Mog. Naruto stared as it headed towards him. The cat had a little yellow crown sitting on its head and a red cape tied around its neck. In its white-gloved hands was a yellow megaphone, it was clearly a worker in the Gold Saucer. The Mog was mechanical, as was the cat, Naruto presumed, controlled by two small joysticks barely noticeable on the Mog's head, its inner controls hidden by its furry covering and sealed by a large zip at the back. The cat seemed to grin at Naruto as it plodded over to him, guiding the Mog over with the joysticks. Although slightly awkward at walking he managed it quite well, until the Mog and the cat stopped in front of Naruto.

"How 'bout it?" the cat asked him cheerfully. "Want me to read your fortune? A bright future! A happy future! Oh, but don't hold it against me if it's not a good prediction!" The cat stopped and seemed to flush a little, making Naruto wonder whether it was mechanical or not. "Oh, so sorry. I'm a fortune telling machine. The name's Cait Sith!"

Naruto smiled and bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you. The name is Naruto Uzumaki,"

Cait rubbed its hand on the back of its head, seemingly embarrassed that it was getting such a polite greeting. Naruto decided to think of it as a he since it did not seem like a normal machine. "I wouldn't mind my future read," he said while still smiling. For some reason he liked this guy.

Cait's black eyes seemed to light up. "Okay, here goes!"

Naruto watched as Cait pressed a few practically invisible buttons on the Mog's head, and then vigorously moved the two joysticks back and forth. In response the Mog made a peculiar mechanical grinding sound and began to rock back and forth in opposition to Cait's movements. After a few moments of this Cait stopped, and a small ticket slid up out of the Mog's head. Cait tore it off and held it out to Naruto with a beaming smile. Naruto took it and looked down at it.

"As the star sign Calipso falls into the North, the planet Segren aligns itself to the west in front of Corisen and Teron to form…. Uh I don't understand."

"Huh?" Cait said. He leaned over the Mog and snatched the paper back from Naruto. He was surprisingly flexible for a machine. His eyes scanned the paper for a second, before he carelessly threw it aside. "Let me try it again."

He went through the entire process again. Naruto watched as the Mog rocked back and forth, its feet moving with them. Only Cait's balance on top was what kept the Mog from falling over. Another slip of paper then emerged from the head of the Mog, and Cait tore it off and gave it to Naruto, who read it again.

"Your star sign Libra and animal sign the Rat are in conjunction to the morning tide at 6:17am …"

Cait looked up desperately, clutching his megaphone in his hand. "Wait, wait, give me another chance!" he pleaded, sounding as desperate as he looked. He almost jumped up and down on the Mog's head, trying to keep Naruto's attention. "Wait! Let me try it again!"

Naruto wasn't the sort of person to walk away when someone pleads like that so he stayed and said, "Third times the charm,"

This time Cait pushed it harder and the Mog rocked vigorously back and forth, almost slipping over itself in Cait's desperation. Naruto almost got the impression that the machine wanted to talk to them. Perhaps it felt lonely just talking to people day after day, or…

He never got the chance to finish his thoughtful debate, for Cait had finished and was already tearing off the new slip of paper with its last prediction. Naruto looked and was startled by the lengthy prediction.

"The road to your true ambition is long and hard, but faith in your friends and you will persevere. The trials ahead will seem impossible but you have the power to overcome all obstacles. And as you, Heavens Champion, strides forward, you will conquer the true darkness that lies beyond the line of reason, logic and truth. And remember to always believe in yourself and others."

He lowered the paper and looked at the ground. He didn't know what to think. Both were silent for a while.

"I don't know if it's good OR bad…" Cait said finally. He put his megaphone down and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "This's the first time I ever got something like THIS." He picked up his megaphone again, and looked at Naruto. "Then shall we?"

"Wha..?" was the intelligent response.

Cait sighed and leaned forward on the Mog. "As a fortune teller," he began, speaking as though it was an obvious assumption. "I can't help but think about this. If I don't see what it leads to, I won't be able to relax." He suddenly jumped upright on the Mog, megaphone raised high. "That's why I'm going with you!"

Naruto thought about this. While there was the possibility that he would be absolutely useless, there would be a chance that he wouldn't. Deciding to take the risk he nodded and smiled. Cait seamed to be glad and he bounded off in the direction where Kyuubi was. Naruto, still smiling, walked off in the same direction, not realizing that he had unconsciously slipped the piece of paper into his pocket.

* * *

As Naruto was introducing Cait Sith to Kyuubi the others were exploring. Aeris and Yuffie had met up at the Chocobo Races. They were both acting like school girls as they watched the races.

Nanaki found himself in the Event Square on the top floor of the theme park. Safely encased within the leaf's thick structure, he could see and hear everything going on. Crowds of people were lined up on benches in front of a huge stage, waiting for the next show to start. The air was heavy with the scent of popcorn, toffee apples and other such sweets. It made him feel a little sick, but seeing the people so happy made him forget about the others, at least for a little while.

As Barret emerged from the tunnel halfway up the Gold Saucer stem, he found himself at the entrance of the Battle Square. Neither the Wonder Square nor the Speed Square had impressed him at all – in fact he'd found all the noise and the people a mere annoyance. There was no place quiet in the Gold Saucer, which was what he wanted.

Yet, as he looked up at the steps leading up to the Battle Square, felt the faint twinge of a smile at the corner of his mouth. The Battle Square was, as its name said, a place for battles. It was probably the best place to let off a little steam. So he headed briskly up the steps, making sure his gun-arm was cocked and ready to fire, and went through the open entrance.

Cloud and Tifa meet up with Naruto, Kyuubi and the new member. As they were having fun Gaara and Nibi joined in the fun. Eventually they were all having a good time. Naruto and Kyuubi impressed everyone as they were dancing to a cool song on a game called "Dance Dance Revolution". The directions to where you had to stomp your feet on would scroll upwards and they would dance to the beat. The song was called Vacation by Vitamin C. Everyone in the arcade started clapping to the beat, even Gaara and Cloud. Naruto and Kyuubi were getting perfect after perfect and it was astounding. Afterwards the person in charge of this section clamed that no-one else had done so well. When the song stopped, everyone applauded the two. Naruto was rubbing the back of his head and was grinning a huge fox grin. Kyuubi was blushing slightly. After that Cloud versed Gaara in a virtual fighter in the middle of the room. Cloud got his ass whooped as Naruto said. Nibi went on the snowboarding game and didn't do very well. She kept crashing. Tifa found a cute little game about a Mog learning to fly, which had amused her to no end. All in all it was a very memorable time.

* * *

After an hour they all split up again. Naruto, Kyuubi and Cait Sith headed to the Battle Square. Naruto was the first to emerge from the hollowed out tunnels guarding the tubes and headed towards the stairs. The first thing he noticed as he looked around was that it was surprisingly quiet in this area of the park. He could still hear the faint sounds of music from the Wonder Square and screams from the Speed Square, but there were no sounds coming from the Battle Square.

When Kyuubi and Cait came out of the tunnel, Cait annoyed at the wind tunnels ruffling his fur, Naruto's gaze fell on a Shinra guard who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. His gaze was caught by the way the guard was standing unnaturally still and rigid, as though someone was behind him and holding him upright, almost like a puppet. Looking closer Naruto could see a blank expression behind the shadowed out visor, as well as the faint trickle of a red liquid at the corner of the soldier's mouth.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed. The sound of his cry seemed to shake the soldier free, for he suddenly fell to his knees and collapsed face forward onto the floor, his helmet falling off his head and rolling across the floor.

He ran forward and knelt beside the soldier, reaching just under the rim of his helmet to feel for a pulse on the side of his neck. There was no throb, no gentle rhythm that signified blood pulsating through veins, not a single pulse. Naruto could see that the soldier's eyes were still open in an expression of total surprise. Naruto stood up.

"Dead…" he said quietly.

Kyuubi looked at the soldier then up the stairs. "Naruto!" she said and the blond turned to meet her eyes. He nodded and she poofed back to the sword. Cait cried out in confusion and was just about to ask Naruto where she went, Naruto said, "We'll talk later, right now we need to find out what's going on."

Cait nodded as this wasn't the time and walked to Naruto as he was picking up the sword. They ran up the stairs and into the room. The waiting area was filled with people, all of them lying on the ground in small pools of blood. They were sure that they were all dead, but judging from the size of the blood pools, they hadn't been dead for too long. The two receptionists were slumped over their desks, their hair strewn over their faces, their hands still grasping onto the edges of the desks in desperation. Naruto found his fists shaking almost uncontrollably, and he fought to contain them.

"This is terrible. They were innocents," he growled.

He dashed forward to one of the guards lying dead in the middle of the floor. Again Naruto checked for a pulse, but he knew just from looking that the guard was dead. It made him think back to the Shinra building, when all the Shinra employees lay dead on the floor.

Thinking of that made Naruto notice something he hadn't before. There were no deep-cutting sword wounds on this guard, or the one lying dead outside. There was a wound penetrating his armour, but it was too rounded, too rough to have come from a sword, even one as long and as swift as Sephiroth's. It looked more like a gunshot wound.

"Well that rules out the idea that it was Sephy," he said. "They're all shot… Sephiroth doesn't use a gun… at leased I don't think so,"

A strange noise began to sound throughout the waiting area. It sounded like a gurgle, choked with blood. Naruto spun around just in time to see one of the female receptionists shudder awake and cough. There was at least one person alive. The two ran over to her.

"Hey, what happened!" Naruto asked quickly.

The receptionist slowly turned her head and tried to look up at Naruto and Cait. She found she could not move very much, for each breath hurt. It was no wonder, Naruto noted as he looked down at her, for she had two very bad bullet wounds in her chest, and blood had stained half her uniform. They very much doubted that she would live for very long.

"Ugh… ugh…" the woman mumbled, hardly able to control her own voice. She coughed, and Naruto gently rubbed her back. A few specks of blood fell onto the desk before the woman was ready to speak. "A man with a gun…" she whispered, her voice coarse. "On his arm…"

Naruto froze. 'It couldn't be…' he wondered.

**"I don't think so either. Barret wouldn't do this. Maybe to the Shinra soldiers but he wouldn't shoot innocents,"**

'I agree, let's look around some more.'

"Hold it right there! And stay quiet!"

Naruto and Cait spun round to face the entrance, in time to see two guards burst into the waiting area, guns in hand, looking around at the dead lying in the room. As they saw Naruto and Cait they cocked their guns and aimed at them, ready to fire at the slightest movement. The two did as they were told and stood frozen, not even twitching. The only one who moved was the receptionist, as her head fell back down onto the desk and she shut her eyes, unconsciousness overcoming her once more.

As they stood there, the doors opened once again and another man walked into the Battle Square. A very tall, muscular man, dressed in only a tight pair of shorts and a head of long, brushed-back black hair. Naruto recognised him, from a brief glimpse of a statue he had seen upon their arrival at the Gold Saucer. He was Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer theme park. He certainly didn't look happy as he saw them standing there, amongst the dead. He looked around at his dead workers and the few dead customers, before settling his stern gaze on Naruto and his new friend.

"Did you guys do this?" he demanded.

"No. We just got here," Naruto said seriously.

Dio stared back at them, and it was clear from the look on his face that he didn't believe Naruto's protest of innocence. It was also clear from the way the guards raised their guns, as though ready to fire.

"If you don't believe us, look at the bodies. Its clear that these wounds were inflicted with bullets and that means that it was by a gun. And as you can see I use a sword. I don't know what he" Naruto flicked his eyes over to Cait, "uses but I doubt that the megaphone is a gun in secret."

Dio seemed to go over this new info for a minuet before he said, "Stand down men," and all the soldiers lowered their weapons.

Naruto and Cait relaxed as Dio walked over to them. "Do you know who did this?" he asked.

Naruto decided to just tell the truth cause lying wouldn't be good in this situation. "The receptionist behind me said it was a man with a gun on his arm. We had such a person in our group and he hates Shinra, but not enough to murder innocents just to get to them."

"We've already apprehended everyone else in your group and sent them down to the desert prison. The only way to get them out is to win at a chocobo race. I can't bent the rules. Sorry." He said while looking down. "As for the gun arm guy, are you sure he wouldn't do this?"

Naruto nodded and looked him straight in the eye to show he wasn't lying. "I swear he didn't do this,"

"Then I think I know who did this. For a while we had a guy with a gun on his arm down there. It was probably him," he said thoughtfully.

"I don't mind racing to get them out," Naruto said.

"Ok, I'll set you up. Do you have a chocobo?"

Naruto returned to a conversation he had with Myifee the other day.

* * *

_"If you ever need a chocobo with more speed than us summon Shu, she'll help you out," said Myifee._

* * *

Naruto nodded. "I have a special gift to summon my chocobo from the stables instantly. Just give me a few minutes to get her and we'll be ready," he hoped that he would swallow that lie.

He did.

"There's a couple of private rooms at the chocobo racing section. We shall go there now." And with that he turned round and beckoned them to follow.

* * *

Naruto found himself in a small waiting room that was attached to the main waiting room. He was waiting for a manager to come by and enter him in the race. He decided that now would be the good time to summon Shu. He bit his thumb, made the seals and said "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Chocobo Shu!" as he slammed his hand onto the floor. After the smoke had cleared Naruto gasped at what he saw.

A beautiful white chocobo with blue eyes stood in front of him. The chocobo swiveled its head and said in a kind, feminine voice, "Are you the one who called?"

Naruto nodded and straightened up. "The names Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. You are called Shu, correct?" he asked.

The chocobo nodded and said, "I heard about you a couple of times. The first time from our leader, Lord Chobi and then from Myifee-sempi. It's nice to see you."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment but then remembered that he needed to ring Gaara. Just then his phone rang.

"Hello?"

_"Naruto, its me, Gaara,"_

"I was just about to call you,"

_"I was just ringing to say that we're all alright but we don't know how to get out and since you haven't been thrown down here yet it means that you were able to convince Dio that you were innocent?"_

"Yeah and I do have a plan. Just sit tight and wait for me kay?"

_"Sure thing. We'll be waiting," _and with that Gaara hung up.

Naruto sighed and started explaining the situation to Shu. She agreed to help out saying that she was very speedy. Naruto was glad and mentioned that she shouldn't talk around others. Just then the door opened and in walked a very strange person.

She was dressed in a rather strange-looking dress; her hair so neatly parted and tied up it almost looked unreal. Her face was also quite heavily plastered in make-up – she almost looked like a doll. It was quite hard to suppress the giggles that were forming in his throats, and it wasn't helping that Kyuubi was laughing up a storm. Thankfully he was able to keep a straight face.

"I'm Ester. I'll be your manager," the woman said cheerfully, giving him a cheery smile. She looked at the chocobo and her eyes widened. "You have a white chocobo?"

Naruto, not knowing the difference other than color simply nodded.

"Well you're going to breeze past the competition today. It's obvious that you know how to ride a chocobo so we'll get started right away."

She motioned for the two to follow and they walked to the door and out into the main waiting room.

The door led Naruto straight into the jockey waiting room, where all of the registered Chocobo jockeys were currently waiting for the next race to start. There were maybe a dozen registered jockeys in all, but at that moment there were only five in the waiting room. The others were all currently racing; hence the sounds of cheers and groans from outside as people either won or lost their bets.

Naruto looked around at the group of jockeys, eyeing them over. They were all professionals, dressed in smart and somewhat silly-looking tunics and riding pants, boots and helmets included. Four of them were sat at a table in the middle of the room, playing cards with one another and enjoying the odd cigarette as they waited for their races to start. There was one other jockey leaning against the nearby wall – a smart-looking jockey with neatly trimmed hair and a rather upper-class expression of smugness on his face, although he didn't look unfriendly. He was the only one who looked at Naruto when he came in, and eyed him over as well.

"You new?" he asked of Naruto. His voice also carried the tone of someone from the upper classes. He looked up over Naruto's shoulder as the door behind him opened, and Ester walked into the room, the cheerful smile still on her face.

"Hi, Joe," she greeted as she looked at the upper class jockey.

"Hey, Ester," Joe replied, tilting his riding helmet slightly in politeness. "You're looking pretty as usual."

Naruto noticed Ester's cheeks flush a little as she spoke. "Thanks," she replied. Realizing that she was blushing, she quickly turned to Naruto. "Let me introduce you, Naruto. This is Joe, one of the top Chocobo Jockeys."

"Nice to meet you, Naruto. That's a mighty fine chocobo you got there," replied Joe, looking at the white chocobo.

"Isn't it?" agreed Ester as she gazed at the chocobo. She then shook herself a bit, remembering why she was there. "I'll go register you and this chocobo. What's its name?"

"Shu," replied Naruto, thinking it was a strange name for a girl chocobo.

Joe nodded. "I have a feeling that we'll meet again. Then, until we meet again, Naruto."

With a polite bow and a smile to Ester, Joe then turned away and headed off to the stables to prepare his Chocobo for the race. Naruto watched him leave. Joe wasn't at all like he had expected from someone so clearly upper class. He was not at all snooty and stuck-up like the Hyuuga, and quite clearly liked the idea of some new competition.

"You just wait here for a while." Ester said suddenly, breaking Naruto from his thoughts.

Naruto felt a little awkward standing in the middle of the room by himself, so he went over to where Joe had been standing before, and leaned against the wall.

After a minute or two of waiting, the speaker above the stable door finally crackled into life, and a clear masculine voice spoke through.

"The race will start in a few moments. Will the jockeys for the next race, please proceed to the paddock. I repeat…"

Naruto watched as the other jockeys put their cards back down onto the table, put out their cigarettes, picked up their riding helmets and headed briskly towards the stables to collect their Chocobos. Naruto stayed where he was for a few moments, wondering what he was supposed to do.

While he was waiting, his arm slipped off the ledge he was leaning on, and something red and shiny was knocked off and rolled onto the floor. Naruto quickly caught it before it rolled under the table and saw that it was a piece of Materia, just lying around. He hadn't seen this piece of Materia before so he asked Kyuubi.

**"That looks like Ramuh, the God of Thunder,"**

'Really? Lucky!'

Quickly Naruto pocketed it, feeling bad about stealing what could have been someone else's Materia, but they needed every bit of help they could get.

"Naruto," came Ester's voice suddenly, and Naruto quickly bolted upright. Ester was standing in the doorway to the stables. Naruto wondered if she had seen him, but when she carried on speaking, he relaxed with the thoughts that she hadn't. "Thanks for waiting. I registered you in the next race. Oh yeah… You know how to ride a chocobo?"

Naruto nodded, wondering if she had forgotten that she said that already. "Yeah, I got it."

"Then, good luck."

* * *

AN: Hello again! How was that? I told you there was going to be a spooky prediction, didn't I? Naruto, you're destined for greatness.

Naruto: Oh yeah. I'm so awesome!

Kyuubi: (mutters while blushing a bit) Yeah, you really are.

Naruto: Huh? Did you say something Kyuubi?

Kyuubi: N-not at all.

JK: (sniggers softly) Kyuubi's got a-"

POW!

…

…

Naruto: You do realize that you just knocked out the author.

Kyuubi: Ooops. Um…. Well I'll just say what he was going to say.

Naruto: Kyuubi can read minds? Awesome!

Kyuubi: Anyway, next chapter we'll have some VIP's commentating on the race. Till then keep those reviews coming. I just know the author will like it. See you next time.

Naruto: Yeah, see you guys next chapter. I'll totally kick ass.


	27. Chapter 27: Place Your Bets, Hokage’s!

**Chapter 27: Place Your Bets, Hokage's!**

It was very stuffy in the racing arena, Naruto noticed. The Square had been open since morning and had already seen many races already. The stench of Chocobos and sweat filled the air, but that was only because they were all huddled together. It would soon disperse once the race started.

Naruto patted Shu's head and she closed her eyes, indicating that she enjoyed the feeling.

"Let's do our best, Shu," he whispered and the chocobo nodded.

Joe was also in the race, and gave Naruto a wink as he entered the arena with Shu. His Chocobo, Grey, was a white Chocobo with neatly trimmed feathers and sharp, focused eyes that eagerly looked at the racecourse, stamping its feet down impatiently. Naruto tried to ignore the intimidating looks of the other jockeys and promptly climbed onto Shu's back, holding onto the reins as he waited for the race to start.

* * *

_Meanwhile at a certain house in Heaven…_

A spiky, blond haired man and a long, red haired woman were sitting in front of a huge, wide screen TV. The man had a huge smile on his face as he looked at a certain figure on the screen. The woman had a warm, soft smile on her face as she concentrated on the same person on the TV.

"Twelve years ago if someone told us that our son was going to participate in a race in another universe I would have pointed them to the nearest psycho ward but now its happening," said the man.

"Indeed, I'm so proud of our son," replied the woman.

There was a knock on the door and the blond got up and walked over to the door. Opening it only served to make his smile get even wider.

"Twig! Puddle Splasher! Saru! How you doing?"

Three people were standing in front of him. The first on was tall and had long, brown hair with thin strands falling in front of his face and dark brown eyes. The second had long, light grey, spiky hair and light brown eyes. And the third was an old man with short grey gair and black, kind looking eyes.

The one referred as 'Puddle Splasher' started fuming and yelled, "Stop calling me that!"

"Why? It's fun to get a rise out of you," the blond replied with a big smirk.

"Now now Minato," said 'Twig', "we're not here to go out drinking though that might be a possibility after we watch the race."

"That's right! I want to cheer Naruto on," said Saru.

Minato pouted a bit but moved out of the way to find two more people behind them.

"Zabuza! Haku! This is turning into quite a party. I assume you're here to see the race?" he asked.

"Yeah, since I haven't been able to get any info on what is going on I thought I would come and watch," said the ex-Devil of the Mist.

"He's just worried," Haku said while smirking.

"I am not!" yelled Zabuza.

"How about you just come in. The race is about to start," said Minato.

They all filed in and walked into the lounge room. The woman was still on the couch but when she saw the guests she stood up and bowed to the newcomers.

"Welcome Shodame-san, Nidame-san, Sarutobi-san, Zabuza-san and Haku-chan. Did you all come to watch the race with us?"

"Kushina, good to see you, and yes we did," said Sarutobi.

"Well it's just about to start. Oh by the way, have any of you placed any bets?" asked Minato.

"I did. It was good odds. If he wins I'll be able to afford watching his travels in my own home," explained Zabuza while rubbing his hands.

"Hey, looks like it's starting," pointed out the Nidame as he looked at the TV.

* * *

_Back at the race…_

At that moment the lights signaling the beginning of the race began to flash, and all of the jockeys prepared to launch their Chocobos into a quick, sudden dash to get them a good position at the start. Then, when the last light turned green, the race began.

The jockeys all set off, pushing their Chocobos forward in a quick, sudden dash past the starting line and through the short tunnel that was shaped like a Mog's mouth. Naruto ran with them, startled by the sudden rush of exhilaration that came with the thrill of a race.

As they passed through the Mog Mouth Tunnel and onto the blue path that quickly turned into a rainbow-coloured tunnel, the jockeys finally pulled back on the reins and forced their Chocobos to slow down a little, using just enough stamina to break ahead. Now they were more spaced out and not so cramped together, and that was when the true race began.

Naruto found himself in third place when he pulled on Shu's reins and forced her to slow down. Shu spoke just loud enough for only Naruto to hear.

"I have lots of stamina for this race so we don't need to slow down," she said.

"I know, but it would seem suspicious so we'll slow down for now," replied Naruto.

Shu nodded and they continued on in silence. He was not surprised to see Joe leading the race as they moved out of the rainbow tunnel and into the patch of grass and forest, a single red sign with a yellow arrow pointing them round to the right slightly where the rest of the racecourse was waiting for them. Joe's Chocobo had been bred specifically for riding, and with a perfect pace and speed, but Naruto was confident that Shu could pass him.

One thing Naruto noticed as they went progressed steadily through the racecourse was just how strange and different every single area was. First had been the Mog tunnel and its blue path, and then into a short rainbow tunnel with its multicolored walls and floors, so perfectly painted they looked natural, and now they were running on grass. It was not real grass, for Naruto could see the faint signs of dark blue-black of rubber that held the artificial grass up, but it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

The rubber was also helping the Chocobos move along through the racecourse. With each slam of their clawed feet against the floor it seemed to propel them along, giving them extra bursts of speed that wouldn't use up their stamina. Although Naruto was unaware of the position of the other three riders, he could see Joe and the second-place jockey right ahead of him.

Following the grassy path area came another area that was again distinctly different from the previous areas. The new area had a floor that was like a chess board, covered in black and white squares that ran on and on ahead of them before curving sharply to the right. Naruto saw Joe push his Chocobo a little harder and swerve slightly to the right as he approached the turn, wanting to get close to the wall before the Chocobo ran round and swerved towards the far wall. Naruto figured he ought to do the same, and quickly made Shu swerve towards the near wall.

It was a lucky thing for Naruto that he did do it right then, for the jockey in front of him swerved just a little too late, so that when he reached the corner and ran round, his Chocobo moved dangerously close to the wall. The realization of that and a quick flash of panic caused him to tug harshly on his Chocobo's reins, and the Chocobo staggered and nearly fell over. This mistake caused him to stop as Naruto sailed past on his Chocobo, and it was only after another rider passed him that he was able to start again.

* * *

_Back in Heaven…_

"Hooyaa! That's my boy. Win it. Win it. Win it!" yelled Minato as he was bouncing up and down on the couch.

"Come on win! I want you to win!" called Zabuza.

"Yeah! You can do it. I know you can," said Sarutobi passionately as he kept his eyes firmly fixed in the screen.

Everyone else was watching calmly as the three were doing all the cheering for them. If only certain people in Konoha could see them now.

* * *

_Back at the race…_

Naruto didn't look back as he continued to run around the large bend, focused on keeping Shu's agile and energetic body in check and as close to the wall as possible so that he didn't lose control of her. He knew when the bend came to an end for he saw Joe ahead of him relax his grip on the reins, and his Chocobo slowed into a less controlled run.

They were now running on an upward slope, heading towards a small wooden bridge with yellow lights shining up on it that would guide them into the next area. Joe was still steadily pulling away from Naruto, and the blond knew he had to catch up to the rival jockey before he pulled too far ahead, otherwise there would be no way he could win.

Now running on a brown track, passed a gigantic open oyster shell with a huge shimmering pearl glistening inside, Naruto focused on using a little more of Shu's pent up energy and speed in order to try and pass Joe and get in the lead of the race. He got the feeling that the racer behind him was getting in fairly close and would pass him if he didn't take a risk on Shu's stamina. He dug in his heels slightly and leaned slightly forward. He felt Shu's relieved response instantly as she began to run faster, but only until Naruto tugged gently on her reins to tell her that was the speed she needed to go. Shu did as she was told and ran steadily forwards, and they gradually began to catch up on Joe.

Turning around into the next area Naruto was awestruck by the high stone pillars that lined their path, each one tipped with a ball of holographic flames. Even though they were only holograms Naruto could feel the artificial heat against his skin, but Shu didn't seem to mind it at all. So Naruto kept on leaning forward and pushed her onwards.

A flash of light suddenly zipped past Naruto and made him jump. Shu squawked loudly and fluttered her wings a little, just as a second wave of eerie green light fell over her and Naruto.

Naruto looked up and saw more holograms floating above the racecourse. Holograms shaped like spaceships – at least two of them – with a number of pointy aerials and domed tops flew overhead, the light coming from the centre like some sort of beam that was scanning them over. Naruto kept his hold on the reins as they ran through that area, though Shu had calmed down a lot.

He was immensely relieved once they passed through into the crystal area, where clumps of blue-shaded crystals bordered the path, and Naruto once again focused on catching up with Joe. Thankfully Joe's Chocobo had also been startled by the holographic UFOs and had fallen back a foot or two, making Naruto a little closer to him.

Naruto used this to his advantage and began to push Shu in his direction, hoping to pass him on the right before the course swerved around again past a series of showcases containing small black globules. Slowly but surely Shu gained speed and eventually reached the tail end of Joe's Chocobo, and was steadily getting closer to being level with them.

Joe finally noticed Naruto running up next to him as they passed the showcases and onto a second grassy path, with a log bridge just ahead of them. He smiled at Naruto and gave him a wave as Naruto ran up beside him, clearly enjoying the race more than anything else, and he seemed very impressed that Naruto had managed to catch up with him.

Naruto smiled and waved back, before something else caught his eye and he turned the other way. They were now crossing the log bridge, and to their right was a holographic waterfall, with the hologram continuing its realism way below them. There was a holographic rider on the waterfall, sitting in a canoe right on the edge. As Naruto ran past he saw the canoeist turn around sharply and quicken his strokes, trying to break away from the edge before he fell. He failed, however, and he tumbled over the edge and down towards the water. Again Naruto wondered who had designed such a racecourse, with its different areas and strange designs.

'Weird,'

**"I agree but we must keep our focus on the race,"**

'You're right, thanks,'

He and Joe were now coming up to what was most likely one of the final areas of the racecourse. The ground beneath them seemed to disappear until it was just a semi-transparent blue path, and, looking around, it looked as though they were running through space itself.

The air around them seemed very dense and Naruto felt as though it was much harder to move. Shu had ducked her head low and was running almost at an automatic sprint as she ran alongside Joe's Chocobo, almost neck and neck, leaving Naruto to gaze at the scenery.

Below them was a large moon, obviously not life-size but very realistic. Floating above the path was a huge satellite, and Naruto nearly fell off as he craned his neck back to look at it. He didn't take too long to look around, for they were already coming to the end of the space area, and with Shu pulling just slightly ahead of Joe's Chocobo, he had to be prepared for what would be the final sprint.

As they passed through the final turn of the space area and broke free they rapidly picked up speed again, and Naruto realized that Shu was now running full tilt towards the finish line ahead.

Joe was just a split second behind but was steadily falling back. A quick glance back at his face made Naruto think that he was holding back a little on purpose, which surprised him a little. Still, it made him glad, for now they were in first place and so close to the finish line.

* * *

_Back in Heaven…_

"GO!" everyone shouted as they all stood up.

* * *

_Back at the race…_

The finish line – a beam of green light that ran horizontally from end to end of the racecourse, flashed brightly as Shu passed through it. The echo of loud and happy cheers came through the walls of the racecourse as Naruto pulled harshly on the reins and made Shu skid into a sharp stop.

Joe stopped just a second later and instantly jumped off his Chocobo, pulling off his helmet as he did. He went straight over to Naruto and shook his hand firmly, just as the last of the racers finally pulled into the finishing area.

* * *

_Back in Heaven…_

"YEAH!" yelled Minato as he punched the air with his fist.

"I WON!" screamed Zabuza like a girl that surprised everyone.

Haku shook her head at Zabuza's antics as she gazed at Naruto as he was walking off the race track.

"Now let's go drinking together!" called out Minato to everyone. They all agreed as they piled out of the door to go have one of their drinking sprees.

* * *

_Back at the Golden Saucer…_

"Congratulations!" Ester cried happily. She ran over to Naruto as he entered the waiting room with Shu and threw her arms around him cheerfully, despite the fact that he was still hot and flustered from the race. "Now you're home free!" She gave Naruto a tight squeeze before she released him and quickly held out an envelope. "Oh yeah, the owner told me to give this letter to you when you won."

Naruto took the envelope and ripped it open, wondering what Dio had written. As he slowly unfolded the letter and looked at the hasty joined-up writing, he hoped that Ester had managed to do what she said she would, and they would all be free. He could feel Ester's eager gaze on him, and so he read the letter aloud.

_Boy, if you're reading this letter, then you must've won. And won a victory I'm sure you earned. Now that you are victorious, I promise that you and all your friends will get a full pardon, and you all will be set free. And also, by way of apology, I prepared a little gift for you to use on your journey. Sorry I couldn't be there to tell you this in person, but I am a very busy man. Sincerely, Dio._

"A gift?" Naruto asked, looking over at Ester. She didn't reply, but there was a smug smile on her face that made him figure she had something to do with it. He never had the chance to ask her, for a buzzing sound in his pocket made him jump. He took out his phone and flipped it open, putting speakerphone on.

_"Hey, Gaara here,"_

"Hey. You guys alright?"

_"Yeah we just got out. Dio gave us a buggy to help us with traveling. Aeris seems to be on a sugar high at the moment. We'll be waiting outside for you," _and then he hung up.

Naruto put his phone away, picturing Aeris running towards the buggy in her usual state of happiness, eager to take the wheel. Just thinking of that made him shake his head pitifully, his blond hair shaking in front of his eyes. He looked down at the letter and saw faint marks of writing on the other side.

'Hmm? The letter continues…' he thought, and turned it over to continue reading.

_P.S: I just recently met Sephiroth. He must have a lot of fans with boys your age. Why don't you get his autograph? It seems he's headed towards the South of the river, towards Gongaga._

"Well at leased we have a destination now," he said to himself. He folded up the letter and placed it carefully back in the envelope.

So Sephiroth had been at the Gold Saucer after all. Naruto did wonder how Dio had come to meet him, and even more, how he had got out of it without being killed. But then, from the look of Dio as Naruto remembered, he figured that even Sephiroth would have a hard time getting his sword through those muscles.

"I guess this is goodbye," said Ester, and Naruto looked at her. "Yeah. If you ever have time, come back again. I'll take care of your registration and everything. I'll see you again."

* * *

The buggy sure was something, and, as Naruto had expected, Aeris was sitting at the wheel with an excited look on her face. She, Tifa and Cait cheered as Naruto walked up, and he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Naruto turned to Shu. "Thank you for helping me in the race Shu,"

"No problem, I had fun. I'll see you later Naruto," Shu said as she winked at him before poofing back to her own realm.

Naruto climbed up into the back of the buggy, sitting with Gaara and Cloud with Nanaki on their laps, as Barret had taken the seat next to Aeris. Tifa, Yuffie and Cait sat in the middle.

"Where to?" asked Aeris from the driver's seat.

Everyone slowly turned to Naruto, waiting for his answer. "I got a letter from Dio saying his apologies and said that he met Sephy and that he was heading south to a town called Gongaga. Cloud, do you know how to get there?"

Cloud nodded. "I'll direct you,"

"Well then? Let's go!" said Naruto, rubbing Nanaki's ears as he closed his eyes in contentment. Aeris started up the buggy and headed out across the sands.

* * *

JRK: Oh yeah. The first book finished. Keep the reviews coming.

Kyuubi: The second book will be called ….. um… what will it be called?

JRK: Book 2: Holy and Meteor.

Naruto: Ooooooo.

JRK: Yep, it's going to be good and thank you to everyone who reviewed this book. Thank you to Divine Emperor for his ideas.


End file.
